The Station, Rewritten
by 2swords2
Summary: A rework of the short video game, The Station (developed by The Station) (about an hour in length to play or watch). Not to give too much away: Marco and Valerie have to fight for their lives against their kidnappers, until they discover something shocking. Collaboration with Recycler. May or may not be continued.
1. Chapter 1

**Espial Space Station, Mission Day 11**

Mila dragged herself into her quarters, slumping on the edge of her bed. The constant tension in her neck and between her shoulders was evidence of her stressful day. Today felt like the longest day of the mission, which said a lot about the god-forsaken hand-me-down station that she was 'graciously' captaining.

She pressed her fingers to her temples, feeling her headache beat under her skin. Silas had approached her, yet again, begging for her forgiveness. She agreed with herself that she would stay angry at him for terminating their relationship just prior to their mission for the sake of his career. With each plea and sappy love note left on her captain's chair, Mila would rebuff Silas over and over again. Her actions spoke louder than his, telling him that he had made his bed and that he could lay in it, alone.

She sighed, running her hands through her hair. They had been so happy together, and their future looked so promising. If it weren't for this mission, she could imagine them settling down and starting a family. Yet when push came to shove he showed his true colors. And that was that.

A sudden beep interrupted her lamentations. From the second floor of her 'surprisingly' luxurious bedroom, her computer terminal beeped, indicating that she had gotten an email. Heaving herself upright off her bed, she headed up to the loft. Her terminal showed a message from Elias, the Espial's contact with command. The subject line simply read "Further Instructions."

Attached was a file detailing what was to happen next in their mission. Mila nearly let her jaw drop when she read it, barely believing what she saw. Command was asking her crew to do something so outrageous, breaching nearly every ethical code and protocol. The shock forced Mila to sit down to steady her pulse.

She emailed Elias back immediately, telling him that this was much too sudden. She insisted that her crew had nowhere near enough data on the planet to even consider collecting a sample specimen, to which Elias replied that she had no choice in the matter. He played 'the future of their species had to be safeguarded' card and that interplanetary kidnapping was the only way to protect their kind.

Their message chain ended and Mila's concerns were silenced. She sat back in her desk chair, entwining her fingers together, pressing her thumbs together. The science wing had multiple stasis pods for preserving many of the large organisms native to Psi Prime as specimens. Never in a thousand years would Mila have thought that the planet's only genuinely sapient species would become an inhabitant of said pods.

Even if the aliens were unnaturally violent and warlike, she still had a moral and ethical dilemma that she would now be forced to come to terms with. She would have to ignore the specimen's sentience just because of its observed barbaric tendencies.

Mila let out another sigh, feeling like it was becoming her new breathing. She took the steps down from her loft, going back into her bedroom. She stepped up to her wardrobe, rubbing her fingers over the fabric of her captain's outfit. It was coarse and stiff. Everything she had to be in order to operate as a good captain. She changed into the crisp uniform, practically marching out of her quarters.

She was NOT looking forward to the meeting she was about to call.

* * *

**Rural Iceland, Planet Earth, 2275**

It had been a tiresome day.

Such a phrase was once ordinarily reserved for rare occasions by which an individual had a day in which they were particularly unfortunate in their endeavors. But for Marco, tiresome could describe any day since he was forced to flee his home in the central CanAmeriCo to Iceland, of all places.

Of course, in a world spotted with hundred-mile wide craters from bomb blasts or leveled plains from the subsequent shockwaves, one could only count their blessings if they lived in one of the few places not ravaged by war.

As such, Marco didn't complain as he swung his axe down into a log that refused to split evenly down the middle. His next chop sent splinters throughout the air, all just barely missing his face. He exhaled heavily in defeat, his breath puffing out into a white cloud in front of him. He picked whatever useful wood he could carry and headed back into his cabin, located deep in one of the few remaining forests on the planet.

His cabin was a single-story, its size barely totaling a thousand square feet. Marco stacked his firewood with the rest by the fireplace, keeping a few tucked under his arm. He shook the wood splinters from his brown hair as he moved into the kitchen area of the cabin. He placed the three logs into his wood stove, cooking himself a meal of hard-earned ptarmigan. As he mindlessly stirred the stew pot containing his Arctic bird and some root vegetables, the ridiculousness of his situation caught up with him.

He muttered to himself, shaking his head. "I'm living in the twenty-third century and cooking with a wood stove in a cabin in the woods… I couldn't even DRINK half a year ago… Legally…" He pulled back into his thoughts. 'Perhaps such consequences of such devastating global warfare, the regression of society to a primitive state, were destined to be a feature of humankind till the day they ceased to be-'

A noise sliced through the rural silence.

"Huh? The fuck was that…?" Marco mumbled under his breath as he went to the window of his cabin. From the depths of the late evening woods came a sound that crossed between mechanical whirring and low whistling.

And it was getting louder, coming closer.

Marco wasn't particularly academic. He was acceptably intelligent, with good grades in high school and a good amount of common sense. The latter told him that whatever he was hearing could only lead to very bad things if he left the safety of his cabin. He extinguished any desire to go outside and investigate the noise, instead dimming any lights he had on, locking his door, and hiding in a corner where he wouldn't be seen.

His wise plan was soon vanquished when the cabin door was broken down, splintering just like the stubborn logs from earlier. His eyes widened when he saw a figure wearing a suit of exo-armor he'd never seen before. It aimed a light throughout the cabin, no doubt searching for him. Marco drew back further into the corner when he realized his intruder was armed, holding a weapon he could only hope was a tranquilizer gun.

When the figure saw him they didn't hesitate when they fired their weapon straight into his left shoulder. As Marco's vision blurred and darkened at the edges, he could see the figure approaching him with a chillingly collected walk that was wholly alien to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Espial Space Station, Mission Day 11, Continued**

"Careful with it, Aiden," Silas scolded, hovering close to his crewmate as the specimen was transported to the lab.

"Yeah, yeah," Aiden rolled his eyes. "How about asking me how the surface of the planet was?" He swung the pressurized gurney out wide, turning left out of the hangar. He kept an eye on the air tank strapped to the gurney, filled with exact composition of the lower layer of the specimen's atmosphere.

"Right, right, of course." Silas shook his head, gathering his thoughts. "How was the vegetation up close? Did you encounter any fauna besides the specimen? How was the local climate?"

Aiden huffed and rolled his eyes. "I don't know. I wasn't really paying attention."

Silas stopped for a beat, his demeanor dropping. "Aiden, I didn't ask for much. Just for you to take notes on your trip down."

Aiden shrugged nonchalantly, continuing onto the lab.

Mila was already there, pacing the floor. She stopped, standing up straight when the lab door slid open. "That's it? That's the specimen?" She asked, walking with Aiden, ignoring Silas completely.

"Yup." Aiden slid the gurney into place inside the sealed observation room inside the lab. He stepped back and closed both the antechamber door and the outer door, creating a double lock.

"I thought it would be…" Mila trailed off, looking for the right word.

"Angrier?" Aiden offered.

"I guess." She shrugged.

"You didn't tranquilize it too much, did you?" Silas asked, already suiting up to go into the observation room.

"Just one dart," Aiden answered. "As you instructed," he added under his breath.

"Good, good." Silas kept his gaze on the specimen, depressurizing the antechamber. "I've got it from here."

"You're not going to get rid of us that easily," Mila snapped. "That thing can attack you as soon as it wakes up. We have no idea if those restraints are strong enough."

Silas moved through the antechamber, getting into the main observation room. He removed the pressurization from the gurney, checking on the specimen's vitals as it acclimated to its new environment.

"Are you gonna wake it up?" Aiden asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Silas looked to his audience. "In due time." He tilted his head. "Besides, the Senate was very specific on the types of interactions we were allowed to have with the specimen. Both of you need to put on exo-armor if you want to interact with it while it's awake."

Aiden huffed and Mila remained stoic. Mila nudged Aiden, tilting her head. Both of them left the lab to put exo-armor on. Leaving nothing to chance, they also armed themselves before returning to the lab.

Silas had removed the majority of the specimen's clothing, leaving only a small, white garment that covered the space in between his hips and upper portion of his legs. Both Mila and Aiden understood the similarities between their anatomy and that of the specimen.

"Preliminary checks show the specimen in good health with no obvious injuries or diseases." Silas spoke out loud, his reports being recorded.

"None of the other natives saw you, correct?" Mila looked to Aiden.

He shook his head. "'Course not."

She nodded, looking back to the observation room, satisfied for the moment.

Silas pulled the gurney up to the stationary observation table for easier analysis of the specimen. With the huff, he slid the gurney board onto the observation table. He undid the restraints so he could remove the board.

"Hold on, Silas. We don't know when it's going to wake up." Mila stepped up to the observation room, her hold on her gun tightening.

"Don't worry. Based on its physique and composition, this specimen has at least twelve more minutes of sedation left from the tranquilizer." Silas answered, sliding the board out from underneath the specimen.

Mila sighed, knowing she was in no position to negotiate while outside of the observation room.

Silas moved the gurney into the corner to make room for himself. Turning back to the table, he moved to setup the stronger restraints on the table. He tested the straps' hold on the table first before securing the specimen down.

Without warning, the specimen sat upright, gasping for air with a deep breath. Its eyes widened in fear and panic as it took in its new surroundings. Silas scrambled backwards, his hand clutching his chest to calm his heart rate. Mila and Aiden stepped forward, raising their guns, muttering swears.

The specimen practically fell off the table in its bid to get away from the crew, no doubt fearful of their forms masked by their exo-armors. It pressed its body against the back wall of the observation room, trying to be as far away from them as possible. Its chest heaved rapidly and his eyes darted around the room, taking in as much information as it could.

"It seems frightened, not aggressive." Silas said to Mila and Aiden through the comms in their exo-armors. He took a half-step forward.

"Silas! Step back, now!" Mila yelled. "That's an order!"

"No, no, it's alright. I think I can calm it down," Silas insisted. He took two more steps forward.

"Don't you dare take another step! Or I'll-"

"Shoot me?" Silas finished her empty threat.

Mila let out a noise of discontent, knowing if she broke the pressurized containment, she'd risk her life and Aiden's with any pathogens or bacteria that lurked within the specimen.

Silas kept on his approach, keeping his hands out in front of him in a defensive position.

The specimen looked quickly to his right, seeing Silas' workbench. The specimen snatched up one of Silas' tools, a scalpel, gripping it tightly and holding it out in front of him.

"Fuck, it's armed." Aiden switched the safety off on his gun.

"Don't you dare shoot it." Silas warned, slowly reaching for something on the opposite end of his workbench.

The specimen watched him closely, its eyes barely blinking. Silas kept on his approach towards the specimen. When he was within arms' reach, the specimen's expression changed from fear to determination, a will to survive. It swung the scalpel, but Silas easily blocked the attack with his arm, the blade harmlessly bouncing off his exo-armor with a metallic ting. Silas lunged forward, plunging the sedation needle he had grabbed into the specimen's upper arm.

The specimen looked to its arm and the needle before looking at Silas. Within its eyes was the look of a trapped animal, scared and panicked. The specimen was merely trying to survive and escape, not to attack and destroy.

It slumped down, the sedative taking effect. Silas moved forward to catch the specimen before it hit the floor. When the specimen was out cold, Silas dragged it back to the observation table, pushing it onto it fully with an exhausted grunt. He quickly secured the restraints across the specimen's shoulders, waist, wrists, and ankles.

Mila and Aiden finally exhaled with relief, lowering their weapons.

"Those restraints are never coming off, understand? And it stays sedated." She sternly warned the crew's scientist.

Silas nodded his head solemnly.

"Good." Mila flicked a hand at Aiden and the two left the lab.

Silas finally returned to his analysis of the specimen.

The scalpel slipped from the specimen's grasp, quietly clattering on the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Espial Space Station, Mission Day 11, Continued**

Silas was left to toil away in the lab for the rest of the day, though not without periodic check-ins from Aiden to ensure the specimen was still strapped down, undoubtedly sent by a still pissed-off Mila. Silas kept detailed and organized notes about the specimen, initiating a full body scan of it with his A.R.M.

Once the bodily data was compiled, Silas sat down at the lab computer. The biohazard suit he wore over his exo-armor rustled with every move he made. He pulled up the 3D rendition of the specimen's body, the computer labeling each layer and distinct system within the display.

Silas removed all of the layers except the skeleton, studying the layout of the specimen's bones. "Bone density appears to be 10% greater than ours, giving the specimen a stronger skeleton that likely aids the natives in their fighting. This particular specimen has evidence of trauma within its right ulnar bone, probably broken in a fight or some such event. The break apparently healed perfectly, indicating the natives have enough medical knowledge to reset bones correctly." Silas increased the display size to inspect the specimen's rib cage. "Specimen has seven rib pairs connected to the sternum. There are three false rib pairs below the true ribs. However, there are two pairs of floating ribs compared to just one pair within our anatomy. I can only surmise Psy Prime's native have not yet evolved to have one floating rib pair." He parsed through the rest of the skeletal structure, not finding much else of note.

Silas switch to the view of the specimen's musculature. His eyebrow raised up in interest. "Specimen's muscles are red. Therefore, I can assume its blood is red, too, which I will confirm later with a blood test." He checked the atmospheric composition of Psy Prime once more. "Despite the nitrogen levels being four times higher than oxygen, the natives breathe oxygen. Fascinating that their bodies don't utilize their atmosphere's most abundant element. Regardless, the muscle composition seems to be in good condition. Specimen likely conducts daily exercise to improve muscle strength and durability. I'd like to conduct stress tests on the specimen within the next few days."

He moved to the specimen's nervous system next. "Based off of this specimen, Psy Prime natives have 50% more nerve endings than us." Silas leaned back in his chair. "With all of their infighting, it seems like the natives subject themselves to massive amounts of pain. Everything must be so annoyingly and painfully sensitive to them. It's possible their minds are overloaded with sensory information, pushing them towards savage behavior patterns."

Silas turned around at the sound of rattling and struggling. The specimen was awake again. He sighed, moving to retrieve another syringe full of sedatives. He had to stick to the protocols Mila gave him. He stepped up to the observation table, watching the specimen struggle against the straps. It stopped when it saw Silas approaching it, its eyes wide and breathing quick and shallow. As quickly as it had stopped, it started struggling again, reenergized. Its eyes flicked between Silas and the restraints.

Silas put a hand on the specimen's shoulder to keep it still. He hesitated, watching it tense in fear. A few more tugs on the restraints was all of the fight it had left. It closed its eyes, resigned, and turned its head to face the other direction. Suddenly, the syringe in Silas' hand felt like it weighed heavier than him.

But he had no choice. He injected the sedative and slowly continued his work.

* * *

Marco woke up, his head heavy and groggy. He was laying down, looking up at a plain white ceiling. The cold metal stinging his back told him he was on a scientific observation table of sorts. His tensed his body, his muscles straining against the straps that held him down. A bright light above him was blinding, forcing him to squint and turn his head.

That's when Marco saw one of his captors. They were sitting at a table, their back to Marco. They were wearing the same hazmat suit over their strange exo-armor. Marco wondered where the other two were that he saw outside the observation-type room he was being held in the last time he was awake.

Marco focused on what the one captor was currently doing. He craned his neck, trying to stay quiet to avoid another dose of tranquilizers. He saw a different kind of holographic screen than he was used to, and the captor seemed to be studying images that weren't there. They were gesturing and pointing with their hands, as if they were talking to someone.

Or if they were recording themselves.

'Oh fuck, is this some sick science experiment?!' Marco thought as he felt panic grow in his chest. 'Am I going to be dissected?!'

He started struggling against the restraints, hoping to escape. Nothing gave way. Then Marco realized his captor had turned to look at the noise he was making. Marco stopped, looking at them with wide eyes. His panic was consuming him, his heart nearly beating out of his chest as his lungs heaved for air.

They stepped up to closer to Marco and he could see them holding another syringe, no doubt full of more tranquilizers. Marco restarted his struggle against the restraints, more determined to escape or fight for freedom.

His captor stepped up to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Marco felt the sterile plastic of the hazmat suit, the distant cold metal of the exo-armor underneath it. He pulled against the restraints a few more times, but he knew he'd stay strapped to the table.

In that moment, Marco knew it was futile to even try. He closed his eyes, turning his head away. Every ounce of his being was crying out to him to fight for an escape, but some part of him knew, deep down, that he shouldn't. So he didn't.

He felt the pinch of the needle in his bicep, the string of the tranquilizer spreading out under his skin. He felt his mind become foggy, each thought taking a day's worth of energy to form.

He felt one tear slip from his eye, tumble across his cheek, and fall onto the table underneath him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Espial Space Station, Mission Day 11, Continued**

That evening, Silas submitted his preliminary findings to Elias, who then disseminated it to all of the proper parties. Silas also copied Mila on the message, as required, as well as Aiden, if he felt so inclined to read the report.

Silas looked over his shoulder to look at the specimen. Earlier, it had such a look of fear and desperation in its eyes. Panic. Sadness. Resignation.

None of the qualities Silas had expected. He was ready for savagery, anger, and ruthlessness. He wasn't sure what the specimen was deep down, but he was beginning to think it wasn't a mindless beast.

He sighed, keeping his theories to himself. He stood up, the hazmat suit wrinkling with every muscle he stretched. He walked over to one of the stasis pods, typing a few commands into the control panel. A mechanized arm brought the pod down from its perch along the wall, stopping next to the observation table, the top hatch sliding open. He slowly undid the straps that secured the specimen. He found himself nervous that it would wake up again, doubting his estimates of the sedative's effect.

Silas stopped when he heard the doors to the lab open. He turned around and saw Mila. His energy soared until he noticed the look on her face just before she slipped her helmet on. She didn't seem particularly thrilled to be in the lab nor excited to see Silas. He heard her comm link up with his line inside his suit.

Silas opened his mouth to talk, but Mila spoke first.

"They read your report."

"Already?"

"Yeah," Mila answered, sighing. "The biophysical information is great and all, but they're more interested in sociological data and intelligence levels."

Silas didn't immediately answer. His hazmat suit filled the silent void as he wrung his hands over one another. He stopped, thinking he heard something behind him. He looked over his shoulder at the specimen, but it remained still. He looked back at Mila. "Then I'll have to wake it up. Run linguistic tests and intelligence assessments. As for sociological, I'd need-"

"Another specimen, yes," Mila cut him off.

"So Aiden will-"

"Yes, in the morning. We're scanning now for the best female target."

"Female?"

She nodded, growing impatient. "Obviously, to finish the other half of the biophysical information about the natives."

Silas exhaled. "Alright."

Mila leaned to see behind Silas. "Why isn't that thing strapped down?" Her hand drifted down to her gun strapped at her hip.

"Don't worry, it's sedated. I was about to move it into stasis for the night," he explained.

Mila dropped her hand but remained on edge. "Aiden's going to build a holding cell for it to live in and put it in the lower lab. You two can transport it there in the pressurized gurney. You'll be able to study its social behaviors in there."

"Alright. I'll make sure the specifications are fit for the specimen."

"For both. The male and female."

Silas nodded. "Okay."

"Alright." Mila moved to leave.

"Mila."

She stopped but didn't look back.

"Have you had dinner yet?" Silas asked. "I was thinking we could-"

"I've already eaten," Mila snapped. She quickly left the lab, pulling her helmet off and disconnecting her comm.

Silas sighed, putting one hand against the glass.

"Wow, I felt the tension from over here," a soft voice whispered.

Silas wouldn't have cared about the comment if it came from Aiden, who would have been sulking in the shadows. But he immediately straightened when he didn't recognize the voice he heard. A sneaking suspicion grew, then a sudden realization hit. He whipped around to look at the specimen.

The specimen looked back at him, equally surprised. Silas figured the specimen accidentally said a thought out loud. It stared at him and he stared at it. Then Silas realized it was currently unrestrained and he scrambled for his sidearm. The specimen made no moves except to lift its hands to show it was defenseless and peaceful.

Silas stopped.

"I'm not going to attack you." It slowly sat up. "But I would greatly appreciate if you let me leave and walk home."

Silas' heart sank. It didn't know where it was, who, or what, Silas was. "I'm sorry," he said, but his helmet canceled out any noise he made. He looked to the stasis pod. The specimen had to get in it and Silas didn't want to sedate it again.

"So, will you let me go? I don't understand why you picked in the first place. I'm really a very boring person," it argued.

'Oh no, it's completely sentient, with comparable intelligence levels. It's… perfectly conscious.' Silas was torn. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't keep it locked up like an animal, but he didn't want to go against the mission directives. He needed time to think, time that he didn't have. He figured he had until morning before Aiden left to get a female specimen. His first priority was to get this specimen into the stasis pod, partly to give himself some space and partly to hide this information from Mila and Aiden.

Knowing he couldn't take his helmet off to talk to it, in which doing so would most likely cause severe shock to it, Silas pointed to the stasis pod.

It looked over to it. "What is it? Do you want me to get in it?" It turned back to Silas. "Why aren't you talking back to me? Can you understand me?"

Silas nodded, but pointed more firmly at the pod, his other hand floating near his gun to enforce his order.

The specimen bit its lower lip, considering its options. Eventually it sighed and flipped its legs over the side of the observation table. It stood up and took two steps towards the stasis pod. It climbed it without any further hesitation, laying down.

Silas stepped up to the pod, typing in commands on the panel to begin the stasis procedure.

"Why me?" It asked.

He didn't know why it was specifically chosen. Mila had mentioned something that there wasn't another native around for a sizable radius.

Silas put his hand on the specimen's shoulder, trying to convey his apologies. The specimen looked at his hand, considering the meaning of it. Eventually, it patted Silas' hand, trying to show it was okay.

Silas exhaled heavily, typing in the last command to seal the hatch, and pulled his hand away. The hatch sealed and the specimen looked upwards as it was frozen in place. A mechanical arm reached out and latched onto the pod. It lifted it up and set it on the back wall.

Silas looked at the pod. 'Now he looks like a trophy mounted on a wall.' He shook his head as he went into the antechamber for decontamination. He removed his hazmat suit and left the observation room. Just before he left the lab, he realized what he had just thought. 'I used "he.'" His mind flooded with panic and confusion. 'Oh no. No, no, no. This is very bad.' He rubbed his temples was he left the lab.

* * *

Marco woke up slowly, the tranquilizers eventually leaving his bloodstream. His mind took a while to clear up but he soon was able to think properly. He stayed perfectly still, remembering what happened the last time he woke up. He kept his eyes closed, listening closely.

The captor who Marco interacted with the most was in the room. He could hear their hazmat suit wrinkling with every move they made. He heard footsteps and the sound of typing on a computer keypad. Then he heard the sounds of mechanical parts moving.

Marco slowly opened one eye, sneaking a peek at the situation. He saw a large metal container descending from the wall, stopping a foot or two away from him. The glass panel on the top opened up. He closed his eye when the captor came up to him. He felt the straps release and his aching muscles finally felt some relaxation. He resisted every urge to sit up and stretch.

'Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm,' he thought to himself, starting a mantra.

His captor stopped what it was doing, moving around and stepping away from Marco. Marco opened his eyes just enough to see unfocused outlines of his main captor facing another one who stood outside of the observation room. Their hand gestures and head movements indicated they were having a conversation but Marco couldn't hear any of it. He could only assume their exo-armor had built in communication lines. And he figured they were talking about him and what they were going to do with him next.

'Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm,' Marco repeated his mantra… until he realized he might have whispered it out loud. He snapped his mouth shut, praying the two captors didn't hear. After a moment, nothing happened to him and he relaxed again.

He peered over his nose and cheeks, watching the second captor turn to walk away. The first one reached out a hand, probably saying something to make them stop. The second must have delivered a harsh answer before quickly leaving the lab. The first, despite being hidden behind a helmet, looked downcast.

What Marco gathered from that silent conversation was that those two captors had some unsavory history together and their relationship was on the rocks.

"Wow, I felt the tension from over here."

'Fuck!' Marco's heart rate spiked. 'Did I seriously just say that out loud?!' His eyes widened, lifting his head to look at his captor, who was seemingly staring back at him.

The captor fumbled for its gun strapped to its hip, but their oversized gloves made it difficult for them to get a grasp on the weapon. Marco lifted his hands in a show of peace and defenselessness.

The captor stopped moving.

Marco sat up, still keeping his hands visible. 'I don't know why, but this guy seems to be the least aggressive of the three. Maybe… I can use that to my advantage.'

Marco tried to keep his voice steady as he spoke, hoping he could hide his fear and panic. "I'm not going to attack you. But I would greatly appreciate if you let me leave and walk home." Without any answer or indication from the captor, Marco continued. "So, will you let me go? I don't understand why you kidnapped me in the first place. I'm really a very boring person." He hoped his argument would get him released, but he wasn't so sure.

After a long pause, the captor pointed to the container to Marco's right. Marco looked to it, realizing it was a container built to hold a person. "What is it? Do you want me to get in it?" They still didn't answer him. "Why aren't you talking back to me? Can you understand me?"

They pointed more urgently at the chamber, their other hand growing closer to its gun to reinforce their order.

Marco bit his lower lip, weighing his possibilities. When he found no better option, he flipped his legs over the side of the observation table and stood up. He stepped towards the chamber and pulled himself into it. He laid down as the captor moved towards the control panel for the chamber. They typed in a few commands, readying the chamber.

"Why me?" Marco asked.

His captor looked towards him, eventually putting a hand on Marco's shoulder.

'Are they… apologizing?' Marco thought. He considered the entire situation. 'Maybe they regret what they're doing to me? Hell, I hope this is just some crazy nightmare.' He exhaled deeply and patted the captor's hand. 'Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm.' Marco took a deep breath.

They put in the last few commands into the control panel and pulled their hand away. The glass top to the chamber moved up, sealing Marco inside.

The cold hit him in waves. At first it was painful, then it was soothing. Calming. He felt himself falling asleep. His mind drifted in one direction, his body another. Before he could close his eyes, he was frozen.


	5. Chapter 5

**Espial Space Station, Mission Day 12**

Silas didn't sleep at all during the night. He was too busy reconsidering his moral values. He turned his alarm off before the first ring was done. He huffed, getting dressed for the day. He went to the bridge in search of Mila to tell her about the developments in the lab.

He found Mila at the captain's computer, studying the screen intensely.

"Mila, I need to talk to you about something," he said as he walked up to her.

Mila sighed, not looking at him. "Silas, I don't want to do this right now."

"It's not," Silas paused, closing his eyes for a moment, "it's not that I wanted to talk about. It's about the specimen."

"What about it?" Mila finally looked at Silas.

"I don't think-"

Aiden's voice came through on the ship's comms. "I'm docking now. Female specimen is secure."

Mila turned back to the computer. "Copy that, Aiden. I'll meet you in the hangar." She looked back at Silas as she stood up. "Can this wait?"

Silas stammered an answer, unsure of how to tell Mila what he believed while another specimen was arriving on board the ship.

She sighed, shaking her head. She grabbed her helmet and left the bridge.

Silas let his head hang down as he followed her.

When the two of them got to the hangar, Aiden was already pushing the pressurized gurney down the hallway. Silas and Mila put their helmets on, Mila keeping her hand on her pistol.

"Any issues?" Mila asked.

Aiden shrugged. "Not really." He guided the gurney towards the lab.

Silas leaned in to look at the female specimen. He could only feel the guilt washing over him.

In the lab, Aiden placed the pressurized gurney in the antechamber before stepping back. Once he sealed the door, the antechamber depressurized and decontaminated the gurney. Silas moved to get in a hazmat suit, but Aiden stopped him.

"I need you to help me with the specs for the room downstairs."

Silas looked to the observation room, knowing the specimens had to be moved before the female woke up. He looked to Mila next. "Mila, do you think you could transfer them? Put the female on the table and the male on the gurney?"

Mila tossed her head backwards. "Fine."

"Thank you." Silas tilted his head.

Silas and Aiden left the upper lab to work on the room in the lower lab, leaving Mila alone with the two specimens. She sighed, setting her rifle against the wall as she put on the hazmat suit. As she secured the oversized rubber gloves, she already started to feel claustrophobic. She took a deep breath and stepped up to the antechamber. She sealed the outer door behind her and decontaminated the chamber.

She walked into the main room, already itching to take the hazmat suit off. She went to the male's stasis pod first, typing in the codes to wake it up. She went to the gurney next, unzipping the plastic covering. Mila dragged the board over onto the observation table. She slipping the board out from underneath it and returned it to the gurney, which she shoved into a corner.

She went back to the observation table to strap down the specimen. Mila grabbed one of the straps and started to loop it around the specimen's wrist. And soon as she touched it, its eyes shot open. It twisted its body, lifting a leg and kicking Mila right in the chest. Mila stumbled backwards, shocked and slightly shaken. It rolled off the table, standing opposite of Mila.

It shouted at her in a language Mila didn't understand. But it didn't matter to Mila, she was more concerned with containing the situation. She reached for her rifle but stopped, regretting the fact she left it outside of the observation room.

Mila didn't know where Silas kept the sedatives, but she figured one punch from her with her exo-armor on would undoubtedly knock out the specimen. She curled her hands into fists.

In an instant, the specimen was rushing Mila. Mila brought her hands up to throw some attacks, but the specimen easily batted her away. It swept Mila's leg, throwing her off balance. It shoved her back before punching her in the chest. It groaned in pain, shaking out its hand, now realizing Mila's armor was formidable.

The stasis pod beeped but Mila ignored the noise for now.

"Aiden, Silas, I need your help in the lab. Now!" Mila shouted into her comms, but kept her voice calm and even.

Mila gathered herself and advanced on the specimen. She could hear Silas' voice in the back of her head, warning her not to damage the specimen, that it needed to remain unharmed for him to study. She huffed and gritted her teeth. She'd have to subdue the female as gently as she could.

"On our way," Aiden answered.

The female specimen moved backwards, staying away from Mila, nursing its hand. It spied the antechamber doors and Mila could see it plot its escape. She couldn't let it expose the crew to whatever unknown pathogens its body held.

Mila sprinted at it, knocking it against the wall. It growled and shouted something. It started pushing against Mila's heavy body, bracing its arms across her chest while focusing its next attack on Mila's legs. Mila snatched its wrist to push back but it grabbed her arm, jerking it hard and twisting it. A flash of pain shot through her body, blurring the edges of her version.

The stasis pod beeped again and Mila heard the glass hatch open. She hoped the male was still tranquilized so she didn't have to deal with it too. But the noise had distracted the female long enough for Mila to take advantage.

Mila weaved one leg through the specimen's legs and tripped it up. It tumbled to the ground before quickly scrambling to get up again.

Mila grabbed it, spinning it around so its back was against her chest. She locked it in a chokehold, hoping to starve it of air so it will pass out.

But it wouldn't go down as easily as Mila hoped. It thrashed and struggled, its hands scrabbling for something to grab to help it. Mila dodged its hands, squeezing around its neck tighter, but not too much as to crush its throat.

Mila was blindsided by another body crashing into hers. The male in the stasis pod had woken up, coming to the defense of the female. Mila's head slammed against the inside of her helmet, making her see stars. She lost her grasp on the female, but not before it had passed out, slumping down on the ground.

Silas and Aiden finally arrived at the upper lab. Aiden immediately drew his weapon and aimed it at the male. It saw the barrel pointed in its direction and stepped away from Mila. Silas quickly suited up and rushed into the antechamber. Mila leaned against one of the tables, trying to stop the room from spinning.

Silas got into the observation room, going to Mila first. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she nodded. "Just dizzy."

"You probably have a concussion." Silas gently guided her over to the chair by the computer. "Sit down and breathe deeply."

Silas turned around to deal with the specimens but stopped when he saw the interaction unfolding. The male had knelt down next to the female, putting two fingers against the neck of the female, to check its pulse. The look on the male's face became less panicked when it realized the female was still alive.

What came next was what Silas had been fearing.

The male cradled the female's head… and spoke. "Hey, hey, wake up. Can you hear me? Are you alright?"

"It can talk?!" Aiden shouted.

"And… and it knows our language?" Mila lifted an eyebrow.

The male dipped its head down, bringing its cheek close to the female's face. It felt the female's breath on its cheek. It straightened up, trying to gently shake the female awake. "Come on, wake up. You can do it."

"Silas, why aren't you having a nerd freak out right now?" Aiden asked, drawing closer to the glass of the observation room. "The natives know and speak our language!"

"Because… I knew." He looked to Mila. "That's what I wanted to tell you earlier."

Mila looked away, feeling a pang of guilt along with her usual annoyance.

Silas retrieved an injectable sedative and stepped towards the specimens. He sighed, sedating the male. It slumped backwards into Silas' arms and Silas dragged it towards the open stasis pod. He heaved its body into the pod and sealed the glass hatch. He went over to the female and lifted her up into his arms. He was thankful the female was lighter than the male. He set it down on the observation table and quickly strapped it down.

He pulled up the female's vitals on his A.R.M., seeing that her respiratory levels and brain function were normal. He felt relieved.

"Well, that's enough for me to take in right now." Mila slowly stood up. "I'm going to med bay for some pain meds and then… I gotta update Elias." She walked towards the antechamber door, passing by Silas as she went.

"Wait," Silas put a hand on her shoulder.

She huffed. "What. I don't want to stay in here another minute."

"You can't leave." Silas gently held her arm and lifted it up for her to see.

She stared down at what seemed like a death sentence. A tear in the hazmat suit. She looked up at Silas. "What… what do I do?"

"You…" Silas trailed off, thinking. "You need to stay here. I'm going to test their blood and cross it against ours to check for any pathogens that could harm us."

"How long is that going to take?" Mila asked.

"About 12 hours. A day at most."

"A day?!"

"Stay calm, Mila."

"What if I'm infected with a disease that'll kill me in a day?! Hm?!"

"Mila, it'll be okay."

Mila sighed. "You better be right."


	6. Chapter 6

**20 miles outside of Baotou, China, Planet Earth, 2275**

Valerie woke up to the sun streaming in through the one window in the tiny room she was currently occupying. She sat up in her bed, though she would classify it as a cot, and yawned. She tossed back her blanket and stood up. She rubbed her eyes before putting her hair up in a messy ponytail. She looked to the unmoving figure in the cot across from hers.

"Time to wake up." Valerie went over to them, shaking the foot that hung over the edge.

She got a mumble of a response.

She rolled her eyes. "I'll be back in ten. You better be up by then, Evan."

"You got it," Evan answered, voice groggy.

Valerie then pulled on her jeans that rested in a pile at the end of her cot. She rummaged through her open suitcase for a fresh shirt, eventually finding one that smelled the least offensive.

Valerie left the room that qualified as the bedroom, passing through the main room that operated as the living room and kitchen. She grabbed a nutrition bar that would serve as her breakfast. She picked up her backpack that rested by the door and slung it over her shoulders. She grabbed her tablet to check on any developing news across the globe.

'A ceasefire was broken at the front between southern CanAmeriCo and the South American Union, just after the Secretary of War of CanAmeriCo was attacked in his own home and nearly killed.' Valerie nodded, thinking to herself. 'That could be a good story. Smells like an inside job.'

She set her tablet down. She'd tell Evan about it when he was fully awake. She took another bite of her nutrition bar as she went outside. She emerged into a quiet but bustling rural town a few hours outside of Beijing. Farmers and herders tended to their work, most ignoring Valerie and Evan the foreigners. Some had come to appreciate and enjoy their presence.

"_Good morning, Valerie! Fantastic story last night. My entire family watched it." _One villager, a baker, stopped and called out to her in Mandarin.

Valerie smiled and waved. "_Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it."_

"_Are you leaving town? Off to do another story?"_

Valerie nodded. "_We'll probably leave this morning. But I'll be sure to come back for those sweet buns of yours!"_

The villager bowed in thanks, a smile on his face. "_Thank you, Valerie! I will miss you!"_

Valerie waved, walking over to the Jeep she and Evan had been using to traverse Asia and Europe for nearly a year. She'd have to give it up for her imminent journey for her next news piece.

She leaned through the open driver's window, plucking a carefully folded map from the center console. She stepped back, unfolding it on top of the Jeep's hood. She slipped one edge under the windshield wipers, holding the other side down with her hand.

Valerie found the tiny town on the map, tracing her finger over winding roads and cratered plains. She eventually found the closest airstrip, where she'd arrange a plane to take her and Evan to the border between CanAmeriCo and the South American Union. She estimated a four hour drive.

She straightened up, sighing. Evan hadn't come outside yet, meaning she'd need to go poke the beast. She turned, leaving her nutrition bar on the hood, heading back to the single-story hut to get Evan.

Valerie only took two more steps before she felt a prick on the back of her neck. In the few seconds of consciousness she had left, she could only theorize that the ever-expanding Chinese government was exacting their revenge on her for her exposé of war-mongering and corrupt officials. She figured they were going to kidnap her, torture her, and likely kill her for what she did.

She could only hope Evan was safe and could rescue her. A rescue that Valerie would have to match with her own furious fight for freedom.

Her vision faded to black as she fell to the ground.

Meanwhile, Evan was slowly waking up, a frown plastered on his face. He waited for Valerie to come back to get him out of bed, hoping she'd bring him some breakfast.

But when she didn't come back after ten, twelve, fifteen minutes, Evan hopped out of bed. He grabbed a random shirt from his suitcase and tugged it on. He stepped into yesterday's jeans, buttoning them as he left the bedroom. He snatched one of the sweet buns the village's baker had dropped off yesterday morning to be his breakfast.

He left the hut, looking outside for Valerie. He went towards the Jeep, noticing the map left out on the hood. "Val? Val!" Evan saw Valerie's half-eaten nutrition bar, then saw a mess of footprints in the dirt not too far away. "Valerie!" He whipped around in a circle, desperately hoping to see Valerie close by.

But he didn't. That's when he started to worry.

* * *

Valerie woke up but remained still. She was thankful to her body for its resistance to sedatives. She knew the following moments she had while her captors didn't know she was awake were crucial. She kept her breathing slow and even, her eyes closed and unmoving underneath her eyelids. Valerie listened with the intensity of a predator animal on the hunt for its next meal.

Valerie heard the sound of massive metal doors sliding open. Hangar or loading bay doors, possibly. She felt her body on a hard, unforgiving board, wheels squeaking a few feet beneath her. She was being wheeled around on a gurney of sorts, but she heard the unmistakable sound of wrinkling plastic around her as the gurney turned left.

Working the protective plastic into the situation, Valerie could only assume she was in China's top biohazard facility, where the world's deadliest diseases were stored and experimented on to make them even more lethal. She might be their next test subject.

After a short journey, Valerie felt the gurney slow down. Eventually, she heard a hatch seal behind her and the space she was in depressurized. Another door opened and the gurney was wheeled forward until it stopped.

After a few long moments, Valerie heard the sounds of typing and mechanical parts moving. Then the plastic around the gurney was undone and the board Valerie rested on lifted up. She was transferred to a stationary table. She reminded herself to act relatively limp as the board slid out from underneath her. She heard the gurney wheels squeak away.

Her captor stood close to Valerie as she laid on the table and she could hear their hazmat suit wrinkle with every move they made. She made out the quiet sounds of dense fabric rubbing against itself along with the soft clinks of metal bits. 'Restraints,' Valerie thought. 'Not today, asshole.'

Valerie's eyes snapped open and she stared up at the face of her captor. Unfortunately, she realized they were wearing exo-armor underneath their hazmat suit. This would be a tough fight. Immediately she thought she could take them hostage, possibly tearing their hazmat suit to influence to her release.

The captor had barely had time to react to Valerie's awakening before she attacked. Valerie twisted her body towards them, kicking her leg out and landing a hard kick in the center of their chest. The captor stumbled backwards, more shocked than in pain. Valerie rolled off the table, standing opposite from her captor, but still kept her distance.

"_You made a mistake picking me, motherfucker. You wanna let me go now before I kill you?"_ Valerie yelled in Mandarin.

They didn't answer her, instead curling their hands into fists.

'If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you're going to get,' Valerie thought. She rushed them, easily defending herself against their panicked punches. Valerie swept one of their legs, getting them off balance. She shoved them back and drove her fist into their chest.

Pain jolted up Valerie's arm, her entire hand crying out while she could only register her immediate regret. She groaned, stepping back, shaking her hand out. While her captor gathered their wits, Valerie quickly registered her surroundings.

The room was thirty feet by thirty feet, standing within a larger laboratory. Tables and workbenches lined most of the walls, with technology that seemed far too cutting edge for the Chinese to have. She noticed three identical chambers mounted on one of the walls, but she didn't have time to think about their purpose. A fourth chamber had been removed from the wall and was held horizontally by a set of mechanized arms. Then Valerie saw her escape: the door to the antechamber.

She could only hope that breaching the biohazard containment would strike enough fear into the crew working in the facility.

Valerie looked back to her captor to see them running at her. In an instant, they slammed Valerie against the nearest wall.

"_I'll make you regret this!"_ Valerie yelled in Mandarin. Valerie braced her arms across their chest, pushing back against them. She tried to knock out their legs but they were ready this time. They grabbed Valerie's wrist but she latched onto their arm with her other hand. She jerked their arm downwards and twisted as much as she could. She dug her fingernails into the plastic suit, feeling the scales of the armor underneath. The plastic of the suit stretched and resisted but eventually gave way and tore open.

Valerie felt a moment of relief. She could lose this fight but still be able to win in the end.

She heard a beep, one that had a tone of warning. She scanned the room, searching for the source. Just as her eyes landed on the separated chamber, she felt the captor weave one leg in between hers. Her balance failed and she tumbled to the floor, losing her grasp on their arm.

Valerie knew she'd lose her advantage the longer she remained on the ground, so she quickly rushed to her feet. Her captor was ready, spinning Valerie around and locking her in an intense chokehold. But Valerie wasn't going to go down without fighting. She tried slamming their arms up and down, hoping to cause them to lose their grip. As blackness filled the edges of her vision, Valerie tried reaching backwards. She hoped landing hits against their head would temporarily stun them long enough for her to get away.

Her captor squeezed her throat tighter and Valerie could see stars floating in her vision while her lungs heaved for air. As she took an empty, heaving breath, someone else slammed against her and the captor. The captor lost their grip on Valerie, letting her fall to the floor.

Before she lost consciousness, Valerie saw the blurred outline of a young man in solely his underwear. 'No suit. He must have been taken like me. What the fuck are the Chinese doing in this place? Maybe-'


	7. Chapter 7

**Espial Space Station, Mission Day 12, continued**

Mila paced the length of the observation room. "I'm gonna die, aren't I?" She groaned, holding her head low.

Silas put a hand on her shoulder, still trying to give her the space she wanted. "You're not going to die. Not on my watch."

She lifted her head up, looking over her shoulder at Silas. She patted his hand twice. "Thank you, Silas." Mila moved away and continued pacing. "So what are you going to do now?"

Silas held up the four vials of blood, two from each specimen. "I'm going to test their blood. It'll take me a few hours to isolate any blood-borne diseases they have. Then saliva for air-borne." He held up two more vials.

"Okay. Okay, okay." Mila nodded. "Do I have to stay here with… _them_?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. We're wearing the only two hazmat suits we have." Silas moved towards the antechamber. "I'll bring you food and water in a bit. Do you want a book while you wait?"

Mila huffed, leaning against Silas' desk. "Sure."

"Sit tight and don't worry." Silas went into the antechamber, decontaminated himself, and exited. He looked back at Mila once and felt a pang of guilt. He should have been the one in there with a torn suit. He should have been the one subjected to the possibility of dying.

Silas took a deep breath, setting the vials down in a tray as he removed his suit. He took the vials with him as he went down to the lower lab, where Aiden was continuing to work on the holding cell.

Meanwhile, Mila threw her gloves on the ground. "I need to get out of this suit. No need for it now," she huffed. She pulled the helmet of the suit off and slipped her arms out. She shimmied out of the rest, kicking the boots off. Mila gathered it all up and tossed it into a corner, trying to get out some of her aggravation. She let out a scream no one would hear before collapsing into the desk chair.

Mila felt the tears brimming in her eyes but refused to let them spill onto the inside of her helmet. 'I'm the captain of this ship, I can't afford to cry,' she thought. 'Get it together, Mila.'

After a few hours, when Mila had gathered herself, she started thinking about the specimens. 'Am I even allowed to call them that anymore?' She rubbed a hand over her helmet, wishing she could run her fingers through her hair. 'They're sentient, conscious… They've got free will. Feelings, emotions. Oh. Oh no. They're probably scared out of their minds. We kidnapped them! Ugh, noooo…' Mila slumped forward, resting her arms on the desk. 'All I have to do I ask them and they can tell us everything about themselves and their planet. No kidnapping necessary.'

Mila dropped her head to let it rest on her arms. 'The male, it talked. I mean, _he_ talked. My language. His. Ours. I don't know why the female isn't speaking the same language. I originally thought it was just savage, barbarian jabbering, but… I don't know. They don't seem like savages. More like… cornered animals that we've forced into a horrifying situation. Oh no… we're the savages, aren't we?'

She felt a flash of anger and pulled her helmet off. She threw it against the wall and it bounced off with a loud clang before hitting the ground. "Fuck!" She went over to her helmet and kicked it. She ran her fingers through her hair, finally, and slowly started to calm down. She kicked her helmet again.

The female suddenly woke up, gasping for air. Her eyes were wide and her chest heaved with each breath. She calmed down within a few moments. When the female realized she was strapped down, she started thrashing and struggling to free herself.

She must have felt Mila's presence because she stopped moving. She slowly turned her head, lifting it to look at Mila. The female's eyes widened once more and began to hyperventilate.

Then it dawned on Mila. 'My helmet!'

The female let out an ear-piercing scream. She writhed on the table, pulling on the straps to get her as far away from Mila as possible. "What the fuck?! What the fuck?!"

'So the female does know our language,' Mila thought. 'Ugh, focus! You're turning into Silas. Focus, focus.'

Mila held her hands up to show they were empty and she was peaceful. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

The female screamed even louder. "How the fuck do you know English?! Get the fuck away from me!"

"Please, just stay calm," Mila tried to keep her voice soft and gentle.

"Don't come any closer to me!" She yelled, straining against the wrist straps and the restraint across her chest.

As the female's wrists grew red and raw, Mila called Silas on her comm. "Silas! The female's awake. I need to sedate her."

"I'm on my way," Silas answered in her ear. "If you need to sedate now, injectors are in the second drawer in the desk all the way to the right."

"Okay, okay." Mila rushed to the right-most desk, pulling open the second drawer. She pulled out an injector full of sedatives, popping the cap off. She moved back towards the female, who was still struggling.

She saw the needle in Mila's hand. "Don't you fucking drug me! Don't touch me, you fucking freak!" She yanked at the wrist straps, desperation filling her voice. "Stay away from me! You fucking _alien_!"

That last word stung deep inside Mila's chest.

Silas burst through the lab doors, ready to help Mila. But he froze when he saw the female awake and Mila standing over her with no helmet. "Mila, what have you done?!"

"I didn't mean to!" Mila shouted back, failing to hide the panic on her face.

"Sedate her then!" Silas yelled back at her, going to put his hazmat suit back on.

"Don't touch me!" The female yelled.

Mila felt her anguish as she held her arm down. She injected the sedative.

"No!" The female struggled against the straps, slowly losing her strength. "No, no… no… n…" And then she was sedated.

Silas put his hand against the glass. "Mila… Mila, what have you done?"

Mila threw the empty injector on the floor. "I'm gonna fucking die, Silas! Screw protocol! These two humans are… they're not science experiments! We can't go through with what the Senate wants! It's not right," she proclaimed.

Silas pulled his helmet off, tucking it under his arm. He looked at Mila and nodded.

"It's not right," Mila repeated, quietly.

Silas nodded again. "It's not right."

Mila stepped up to the glass. "Si, get me out of here."

"The tests are almost done."

"I can't stay stuck in here with them." Mila shook her head. "Knowing what we've done to them." She sighed. "Can you move me to the lower lab?"

"I don't think I should. This lab is better outfitted with medical supplies. You should stay here, just in case your concussion is more than mild," Silas explained gently.

Mila let her head hang down.

"Aiden's done with the holding cell. I can move the… the humans down there on the gurney," he added.

Mila looked back up at Silas. "Okay."

"The tests will be done in a few hours, I promise."

"Okay."

"Don't worry."

She took a deep breath. "Okay."

[-]

Marco slowly started to wake up, thinking he was back home in Iceland. His head and chest felt the warmest, where he normally piled on his blankets. His hands and feet were ice cold. He wiggled his fingers and toes to get some circulation going. He thought he left a blanket over his face, making him only see blackness.

But that wasn't the case. The memories came back, fuzzy on the edges, but still harsh nonetheless. He had been kidnapped, strapped down, prodded and studied. The last thing he remembered was climbing into what he assumed was a stasis pod. Then his body when cold and his mind went still.

His vision was slowly returning but his hearing came back faster. He heard a few mechanical beeps and the noises of a commotion. A struggle, a fight.

As he began to see the bright ceiling light above him, the edges of the pod on either side of him, he heard shouting he could recognize.

Mandarin.

'Oh shit, they took someone else,' Marco thought, adrenaline started to kick in. Energized, he knew he had to help. Shaking the last of the frozen sleep away, he hauled himself out of the pod. He landed on shaky feet, but his strength returned with each step he took. He eyes finally focused.

He saw a young woman, just a little older than he was, dressed like she was ready to travel the world at a moment's notice. She was being held in a chokehold by one of their captors, her eyes rolled back into her head, her breathing nearly non-existent.

Marco knew he had to act fast. He charged at the two, slamming the captor against the wall. They hit their head hard against the wall, losing their grasp on the woman. She slumped to the ground, unmoving, and Marco didn't know if she was dead or alive.

He turned to wage a fight against the captor but froze when he heard the click of a gun behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see the two other captors entering the lab, one holding their gun at Marco.

Marco stepped away from the captor inside the observation room, instead moving closer to the woman on the floor. He knelt down, trying to remember his high school survival training. Marco pressed two fingers to the woman's carotid artery, feeling a slow but strong pulse underneath her skin. Marco felt relief wash over him but he knew the woman wasn't out of the weeds yet.

He cradled her head, trying to be gentle with her neck. "Hey, hey, wake up," he tried softly. "Can you hear me? Are you alright?" He asked a little louder.

'Okay, if her pulse is good, the next thing to check is… breathing.' Marco went step by step as he recalled his training.

He brought his head down, close to hers, turning to feel her breath on his cheek. He felt the hot air cross his cheek in a slow, even rhythm. Marco straightened. 'Okay, breathing's alright. Now… now what?' He gently shook her shoulders, hoping she'd gain consciousness. "Come on, wake up. You can do it," he encouraged.

As he studied her face for any reaction, he felt like he knew her. Or that she was familiar somehow. Like he had seen in face before. Marco tried to remember his schoolmates, people he had known from his hometown. He just couldn't place her face. He thought he wouldn't know her, if she was speaking Mandarin, a language he neglected to learn.

That's when he felt the pinch of a needle in his shoulder and the world slipped away from him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Espial Space Station, Mission Day 12, continued**

Silas moved the gurney with the male human into the antechamber so that Aiden could bring him to the holding cell in the lower lab. As Aiden left with the male, Silas started removing the female's clothes.

"Silas, WHAT are you doing?!" Mila stepped up to him, feeling a sympathetic sense of violation.

"I… I was just doing the same to her as I did to him. She could have weapons under her clothes," Silas explained.

"Don't you think she would have used them on me by now?" Mila crossed her arms.

"Sorry, I just… It would be easier to study them this way."

"Study them?!" Mila snapped. "We find out they're sentient and speak our language and you still want to study them?!"

Silas shrank back. "I… I only meant… We're never getting an opportunity like this again. To understand another species nearly identical to us."

Mila let out an exasperated sigh that was nearly a shriek of annoyance. "I can't believe you, Silas. Shame on you," she scolded as she slouched in Silas' desk chair.

"I-"

"Go ahead. I don't care what you do anymore." She sulked, avoiding eye contact with Silas at all costs.

Silas sighed. He would never win an argument with Mila. He tried to remain as respectful as possible as he slipped the woman out of her shoes, socks, pants, and shirt. He left her bra and underwear on, and was even thinking of putting a sheet over her torso to pacify Mila. But he stopped when something caught his eye.

He didn't stop because he saw all of her healed scars. The undeniable evidence of her involvement in fights and battles. The knife wounds and gunshot wounds. Silas focused on something else.

There were markings on her skin. In her skin.

'Do just the females have these markings?' Silas asked himself.

There was a tattoo of a small, flower-like design in the middle of her chest, level with her heart. A thin line extended down her sternum before expanding outward into a larger flower design across her lower ribcage, just below her bra.

"Silas… WHY are you staring at her chest?" Mila spoke up harshly.

Silas shook himself from his trance. "She has these… markings. I don't know what to make of them."

Mila stood up with a huff, keeping her arms crossed tightly. She peered over the woman's body, pausing. "Wow… it's beautiful. Wonder if it means something."

"Yeah, I wonder." Silas continued to look over her body to see her other tattoos.

There was an outline of a diamond on her right side, on her ribcage, with a scene of a mountain, forest, and lake held within the diamond. A colored band of leaves wrapped around her left thigh. A bird perched above her left ankle, planet Earth above her right.

Silas lifted up her left arm, seeing a string of planets on the underside. The planets from her solar system. Her right shoulder had a set of symbols neither Silas nor Mila could decipher.

"What's this?" Mila twisted the woman's right arm gently to show her inner wrist.

Sila and Mila stared down at the circular marking filled with details. But it was different from the rest. It was raised and pinkish, evident of healed scarring.

"Was… was she branded?" Mila asked, stepping back.

"I don't know." Silas shook his head.

"What are we going to do with them?" Mila asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Just talk to them?"

"Yeah. 'Hi, humans. Surprise! You're not alone in the universe.' Hm, yeah, sure." Mila paused to think. "I'm sure Elias is waiting for an update."

"Hide the truth."

"What?"

"You seem to have no problem doing that."

"I can't fucking believe you right now."

Before another could be spoken, Aiden came back into the lab with an empty gurney. He put it into the antechamber for Silas to put the female on.

"The male's in the holding cell?" Silas asked, wheeling the gurney over to the observation table.

"Yeah," Aiden nodded.

"Any problems?" Silas asked, gently moving the woman onto the gurney.

"No." Aiden shook his head, then stopped. "Oh, one of your computers is beeping."

Silas whipped around to face Aiden. "Which one? Which alert is going off?"

Aiden shrugged. "The screen is flashing green."

"Green? Is that good or bad?" Mila asked.

Silas looked at her and smiled. "It's very, very good. No blood-borne or air-borne diseases that are hazardous to us."

Mila visibly relaxed, relief washing over her. "Thank fuck."

Not wanting to push his luck further, Silas took the woman to the holding cell in the lower lab. Mila soon left the observation room, quickly retreating to her captain's quarters to release her panic and stress in a private environment.

* * *

Marco felt the headache pressing against his temples before he opened his eyes. He groaned, rubbing his eyes until he was fully awake. Above him, he didn't see any glass of a pod. And he didn't feel the restrictions of straps holding him down. He sat up, confusion edging over his shock.

Marco started to look around, finally realizing he wasn't in the same room as before. This one was half the size but nearly empty. The walls were clear glass, save for a small partitioned space in the right corner. Those walls were white and Marco could only assume it was a bathroom given the privacy.

He propped himself up on his elbows, looking at where he was lying down. It was a step up from a cot and a step down from his twin bed at home. He still found it comfortable nonetheless. He even had a plush pillow, though no sheets or blankets.

Marco swung his legs off the side of the bed, his bare feet touching down on the cold floor. He froze when he saw the young woman he had rescued earlier. He still didn't know where he recognized her from. She rested peacefully on a simple bed of her own, her dirty blonde hair up in a ponytail, fanned out over her pillow.

Marco stood up and walked up to her bed. He reached out to touch her shoulder, hoping to gently wake her up. But he stopped. Marco couldn't remember the last time he interacted with another human, not counting being here with his captors and this mystery woman. Even just to hold this woman's hand would ground Marco and his wandering mind for an entire year, at least.

Marco reached out and brushed a few pieces of hair off of the woman's face.

Then her eyes snapped open, revealing her deep brown eyes.

Marco opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when the woman grabbed his wrist with one hand, painfully twisting his arm in a direction it wasn't supposed to move in. As she sat up, her other hand closer around his throat.

"Who the hell are you?" She hissed.

"I'm…" Marco heaved for air, "I'm… Marco."

The woman looked Marco up and down, narrowing her eyes at him just in his underwear. Then she looked down at herself, realizing that she was only in her underwear as well. It was something Marco hadn't noticed, given that he was too focused on trying to place her face.

The woman quickly glanced around, figuring out that the new room they were in was one conducive of natural observation.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath.

"Can you let me go now?" Marco asked as loud as he could.

"Fuck, sorry." She let him go before standing up.

"It's alright," Marco answered as he cleared his throat.

"Marco, do you know where we are?" The woman asked, looking around at the space beyond their shared glass room.

"No idea," Marco replied. "What's your name?"

"Valerie."

"Valerie," Marco repeated, hoping her name would jog his memory.

She must have recognized the confusion on his face. "Valerie Alexander."

His eyes flew open wide. "_The_ Valerie Alexander?"

"The one and only." She smiled softly.

"I knew I recognized your face," he smiled back. "But I have to confess I haven't watched you for a couple years."

"Why's that?"

"I moved to Iceland. I guess I wanted safety and isolation over internet connection."

Valerie nodded. "Understandable." Then her face darkened. "How long have you been held here?"

"I don't know," Marco answered. "Last thing I remember was cooking dinner, then hearing something strange outside. Then… I think one of the captors broke into my house and tranquilized me. Every time I've woken up, they've tranquilized me again. What about you?"

"I was 20 miles from Baotou, China. Just finished reporting the night before. I had woken up, gone outside to look at a map for my next trip. I must have been tranqed from behind because I don't remember seeing or hearing anyone." Valerie crossed her arms, deep in thought. She looked up at Marco. "Do you see their face?"

Marco shook his head. "They were wearing exo-armor, a version I've never seen before."

Valerie huffed. "Fuck," she muttered.

"What's wrong?" Marco asked, trying to be helpful.

"Did they say anything to you?"

He shook his head.

"And since you've been here, you haven't seen any of them without their exo-armor?"

He shook his head again. "What are you trying to get at?"

"I think we were taken by…" She trailed off, holding her head in her hands. "I'm gonna sound so fucking stupid for saying this. I'm a reporter for crying out loud," she muttered. Valerie gathered herself, brushing her hair out of her face. "We were taken by aliens."

"Aliens?" Marco asked, the look on his face a mix between shock and confusion.

Valerie sank down onto her bed. "Yeah, aliens. I saw one of them without their helmet on, after you saved me from that chokehold." She paused. "Thanks, by the way."

"You're welcome." Marco pointed to the space next to her on the bed.

Valerie nodded and Marco sat down.

"So did they… look like green men from Mars? Or…?" He asked, curious.

"No. She had like… pink-purple skin. And her hair was… I don't know, it seemed like it was skin and cartilage or something." Valerie put a hand on her forehead, trying to remember.

"'She?'" Marco asked. "How do you know she was a she?"

"Because she looked like a purple version of me! Fuck, I don't know what's going on." Valerie closed her eyes. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

Valerie slowly turned to look at Marco. "She spoke," she admitted.

Marco furrowed his brows. "Spoke how? In an alien language you didn't understand? Or did she speak with a translator? You know, like the old sci-fi movies?"

Valerie shook her head feverishly. "No, she spoke English. Perfectly."

"What?!"

"Yeah. English. Like you and I right now."

Marco was at a loss for words. "This is so messed up. Aliens are real?"

"Apparently so."

"And they speak our language."

"Mhm."

"What do we do?"

"I don't know." Valerie looked at the floor. "We need to get out of here," she muttered, absent-mindedly rubbing her wrists, which were red and sore from her struggle against the restraints.

"You alright?" Marco gently put his hand on hers, turning it over to inspect the damage. He stopped. His fingers brushed over the brand on her inner right wrist. It was a perfect circle, with eight evenly spaced lines extending inward towards an actual number 8 in the center. "You… you know the Dying Languages."

Valerie nodded. "Knowing them all helps me communicate with anyone I come across in my travels."

"You've been all over the world, right?" Marco asked, tracing the design with his finger.

"Yeah. Just about every country," Valerie smiled softly. "Even Iceland."

"Recently?"

She shook her head. "Maybe five years ago." She paused. "Do you know the Dying Languages?"

Marco shook his head. "Just English. Lost all of my high school Spanish and never got around to learning Mandarin. But the five Dying Languages are… Arabic, Portuguese, French… Japanese… Right? And…" He trailed off, forgetting the last one.

"Hindi," Valerie answered for him.

"Right." Marco realized he had been holding Valerie's hand and touching her brand for too long. He let her go, finally understanding some of the effects his isolation has had on him.

The moment grew quiet and Valerie looked to her left. She saw the antechamber that would let them get out, but then noticed the keypad locking them in.

Marco noticed it too. "Hey, we'll get out of here. Don't worry." He put his hand on Valerie's shoulder to give her some comfort.

"Yeah." Valerie started to look at the space beyond their holding cell. It was similar to the previous lab they were held in, with computers and desks lining the walls. Valerie looked up, where the walls met the ceiling. "Shit," she muttered.

"What is it?" Marco asked, trying to find what she was looking at.

"They have surveillance cameras everywhere." Valerie subtly tried to point them all out to Marco.

"Okay, just… stay calm," Marco said for himself more than for Valerie. "Maybe they're not watching us right now."

"Of course they're watching us right now," Valerie snapped, standing up. She started to pace the length of the room, in the area in between the two beds. She kept her eyes on the cameras, doing some mental math. She broke away from her straight path and stood in between the end of Marco's bed and the front wall of the bathroom. "Right here."

"What about it?" Marco stood up.

"Right here is the blindspot in the cameras. They can't see us here."

Marco moved next to her. "Okay, so how do we escape?"

"Are you an electrical engineer or software hacker?" Valerie asked, rubbing her forehead.

Marco shook his head.

She sighed. "Then we can't break ourselves out by overriding the keypad." Valerie let out a deep exhale. "If only I had my backpack. I have enough survival gear in there to…" she trailed off.

"What is it?"

"My satphone," Valerie realized.

"Satphone?"

"Yeah, satellite phone. If I had it, I could call my brother and he could find us and get us out of here," she explained.

"How would he even be able to find us?" Marco asked.

Valerie deflated. "I don't know."

"Okay, don't worry about that. Let's worry about what we need to do right now." Marco gently put his hands on her arms.

She took a deep breath.

Marco and Valerie both turned to face the sound of the lab door opening. Valerie stepped out from the blindspot with Marco on her heels. They watched as their three captors came into the lab, lining themselves up in front of the glass holding cell. They all had their exo-armor on, with helmets, and one of them held a rifle by their side.

Instinctively, Marco stepped in front of Valerie, feeling like he needed to protect her. He didn't see the brief look of annoyance cross Valerie's face.

"The fuck you freaks want?" Valerie snapped, remaining behind Marco.

The three of them simultaneously took their helmets off, revealing their purple-tinted skin and strange, but eerily human-like, facial features. The female alien seemed like she was in charge, appearing tired and dragged-down from the job. The male to her left had curiosity in his eyes but concern across his face. The one with the gun seemed displeased yet indifferent at the whole situation.

"I said, what do you want?!" Valerie repeated herself, raising her voice.

The female answered. "We wanted to apologize."

Marco and Valerie froze.


	9. Chapter 9

**Espial Space Station, Mission Day 13**

Mila finished off the drink she had poured for herself. She barely slept during the night and mid morning was fast approaching. Mila's latest message to Elias tried to explain the situation as detailed and as vaguely as possible. She barely wanted to lift her head when she heard his reply come in.

New Message from Elias Volante

Re: Male and Female Humans

What do you mean, 'there's been a complication?!' The Senate is going to need some more details than that. And which orders did you violate in your interactions with the specimens? They need to know if the mission is at risk or compromised.

Mila sighed. She closed her eyes, wishing the situation would fix itself. She slowly typed a reply, hoping the words would come to her as she wrote them.

To: Elias Volante

Re: Male and Female Humans

Yesterday I got trapped in the observation room with the two of them and tore a hole in my suit. Silas did blood and saliva analyses while I waited in the observation room, in case I was exposed to their bacteria or pathogens. They were clear, so I was able to get out after a few hours. The female… might have caught a glimpse of me without my helmet as I left the lab, but I'm not too worried about it, and neither is Silas. Our biggest issue is their sentience level.

Not knowing what else to say, Mila sent her message to Elias. She leaned back in her desk chair, waiting for the incoming reply, which she suspected would be full of seething anger.

New Message from Elias Volante

Re: Male and Female Humans

Yesterday?! Why didn't you report this immediately?! You are looking at some serious reprimands, Lexa. You'd be getting a court martial if it weren't for your father. And you better hope the female didn't see you. The Psy Prime inhabitants are so savage that even one look at our species would send the planet into a riot, making large landing parties impossible. Be more specific about their sentience levels. Reporting the details of this mission is in your job description. Try to do a better job.

Mila let out a shout of anger, the book closest to her hand falling victim to her emotions as it flew through the air and hit the wall. She kicked her chair as she stomped away from her desk. She put her finger to her ear, opening a comm link on her A.R.M. to Silas and Aiden.

"Crew meeting in the Maintenance Office," Mila ordered.

Aiden sighed over the line. "When?"

"Now."

"On my way," Aiden answered.

"On my way," Silas added.

Within three minutes, the three crew members of the Espial met in the Maintenance Office, just off of the Hangar Bay. Aiden and Silas looked to Mila with concern as she paced the small space.

"Why did you summon us here, Mila?" Aiden asked with a sigh, sitting down in the lone desk chair.

"I need everyone's honest, truthful opinion. Alright?" Mila looked back and forth between her two crewmates. Without an answer, she raised her voice. "Alright?!"

"Alright, alright." Aiden held up his hands, rolling away in the chair.

"Of course, Mila." Silas nodded, leaning on the edge of the desk.

Mila took a deep breath. "So ethically… morally… how do you feel about this whole situation with kidnapping and studying and doing experiments on those two humans?"

"Horrible," Silas answered first. "I mean, it's wonderful to know there is other intelligent life out there that's so similar to us. But, in good conscience, I can't do what the Senate's asking us to do."

Mila let out an exhaled, feeling relieved that Silas was with her. She looked to Aiden, raising an eyebrow in anticipation.

He crossed his arms. "It's completely fucked up."

Mila nodded. "Yes, it is. I'm glad we're all on the same page here."

"So what do we do now? Drop 'em back off on the planet?" Aiden asked.

"No, we can't." The captain shook her head. "The Senate will know if we take them back. And they'll be angry enough to send a team out here to arrest us, especially now after I've told Elias what's happened."

"Wait, you told them?!" Aiden cried out, exasperated. "Why don't you invite the entire Senate over while you're at it?"

"Aiden." Silas held out a hand to calm him. He looked to Mila. "What's the plan?"

"Clearly, we need to keep Elias and the Senate in the dark about the humans' true nature."

Silas nodded. "I can slow down my reports. And falsify whatever data they want to see."

"Good," Mila agreed. "Just make sure that you don't make Earth sound too easy to take over."

"Of course."

"Aiden," Mila started.

"Yeah?"

"We need to take out the cameras in the entire ship. Or at least disable their relay back home," Mila explained.

"No problem. This floating rust bucket has so many problems that fried cameras would have happened sooner or later." Aiden spun around in the swivel chair.

"Alright, so that deals with our Senate problem," Silas spoke up. "But how do we explain… everything to the humans?" He fiddled with his hands. "What about the female? The woman? She's seen you without your helmet on. I'd imagine she's probably in shock about the situation."

Mila ran her fingers through her hair. "Yeah, I know." She paused, thinking. "I think we just have to be forward with them. Tell them outright."

"And you expect them to understand?" Aiden chuckled.

Mila sighed. "I sure hope so. At this rate, all we can do is try."

"I agree." Silas nodded.

Aiden rolled his head around but eventually nodded. "Alright."

"Good." Mila stood up straight. "Aiden, deal with the cameras first. Then we'll all meet outside of the lower lab so we can go in and talk to them. Agreed?"

The two men nodded, but didn't immediately move.

Mila clapped her hands. "Let's go!"

Silas and Aiden quickly rushed out of the Maintenance Office with Mila close behind them.

* * *

Mila, Silas, and Aiden walked into the lower lab, watching the humans carefully as they lined up in front of the glass holding cell. They watched as the two humans stepped closer to the glass, the man stepping in front of the woman. The woman gave the man a brief look of annoyance before focusing on the crew.

"The fuck you freaks want?!" The woman yelled.

Mila sighed. "Helmets off," she ordered.

The three crew members took their helmets off at the same time, tucking them under their arms.

The man tried to hide his shock but was clearly surprised and confused. The woman only narrowed her eyes in anger and suspicion. "I said, what do you want?!" The woman repeated herself.

Mila answered for the entire crew. "We wanted to apologize."

The two humans froze, unsure of how to take this news.

"To start at the beginning, my name is Mila Lexa. I'm the captain here and this is my crew. Silas Haze, science officer. Aiden Vyse, engineer and security officer." Mila hoped an introduction would quell the initial anger and confusion the humans felt.

"Nice… nice to meet you," the man answered first.

The woman punched him in the arm. "What the hell are you doing? Being friendly with the fucking aliens that kidnapped us?!"

"That's what we wanted to talk to you about," Silas started. "Back on our planet, our governing body, the Senate, ordered us to conduct reconnaissance and research your planet. They were just as interested in other intelligent life in the galaxy, as I'm sure you are. Initially, we were just supposed to conduct geological research, mainly flora, fauna, soil, air, water, the like. From our positions as observers, we saw, or rather we _thought_ all humans were… savages, barbarians. Fighting just to fight. Destroying whatever remained on the surface. But then…"

"But then when the Senate forced our hands," Aiden lifted up a hand, "literally, they forced our hands. I had to tranquilize you… capture the two of you, based on Silas' search for good human representatives. And now the Senate wants us to study you so they can find out if they can…"

Mila, Silas, and Aiden all looked at each other, unsure if Aiden's thought should be finished.

"Well?" The woman crossed her arms.

"If they can take over your planet," Mila finished.

"Take over? Like invade and conquer?" The man asked, concern bunching between his brows.

Mila nodded solemnly.

The woman huffed, holding her head in her hands, walking around the holding cell. The man went up to her, putting a hand on her arm to calm her down.

"But we promise that's not going to happen, so long as we have something to do about it." Silas stepped forward.

"Which is?" The woman looked over to Silas, clearly angry.

Silas remained calm. "We don't know yet, specifically. At the moment, we're just trying to keep the Senate in the dark about you two. And how humans aren't crazed savages always searching out a fight."

The woman snorted. "Maybe some, but not all. Some of us are still stupid idiots who feel the need to kill and destroy all the time."

Silas narrowed his eyes, taking a mental note of her comment.

"So?" The man went up to the glass, getting as close as he could. "Now what?"

"Well, if you think it prudent, telling us your names might be nice," Mila inquired as politely as she could.

The man looked to the woman, sensing her distrust. He opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head, staring at him intensely. He turned to face the crew, regardless of his companion's reservations. "My name is Marco."

The woman seethed with anger, crossing her arms.

"It's nice to meet you, Marco." Silas smiled.

Marco gestured to the woman. "This is Valerie."

"Seriously?!" Valerie shouted.

Mila stepped up to the glass. "Valerie. I hope you can believe me when I say, for the three of us, that we want to make this right by you. We don't want to invade, we don't want a war."

Valerie moved towards Mila, a few inches of glass the only thing separating them. "'Make this right?' How about you make it right by letting us out of here."

"We can't do that," Aiden adjusted his grip on his rifle. "Not now, with what you know."

"Was that threat supposed to scare me?" Valerie lifted an eyebrow at Aiden, unimpressed.

Aiden narrowed his eyes, trying to hide the brief smile that flashed across his face.

"Please," Mila took a deep breath. "You'll only have to stay in there just for tonight. We'll get you better living quarters while we figure out how to explain everything to the Senate."

"Hm, so we'll be upgraded from prisoners to being under house arrest. Nice, great," Valerie rolled her eyes.

Marco put a hand on Valerie's shoulder. "Try to make the best of a bad situation, alright?"

Valerie took a deep, calming breath. "We need food and water."

"I, uh… we…" Mila stuttered, kicking herself over something she should have prepared for.

Valerie cut in. "I have food and water in my backpack, if you were so inclined to bring it here."

Mila looked to Silas and Aiden, who both eventually nodded back at her. "Sure, of course. We want you well taken care of."

"And how about getting our clothes back?" Valerie gestured to her nearly naked body.

Mila felt flush with embarrassment, still shocked at herself for letting Silas de-robe them. "I'll see what we can do."

Valerie rolled her eyes again, turning her back to the crew, clearly signaling the conversation was over.

Mila waved at Silas and Aiden, the three of them leaving the lower lab. Once the door shut, Mila sighed.

"Well that went great," Aiden spoke first, his voice lacking sarcasm.

"Aiden," Mila answered sternly, "Aiden, can you just-" She calmed herself. "Could you please get the food and water from Valerie's backpack and bring it to them?"

"How am I supposed to know what their food looks like?" Aiden asked.

"I'll help," Silas offered.

"Thank you," Mila nodded.

"Anything else?" Silas inquired, hopeful.

Mila slowly shook her head. "No."

Silas swallowed his disappointment. "Alright."

The crew split, with Aiden and Silas moving to get Valerie's backpack from the hangar and Mila heading towards her room to strategize their next moves.


	10. Chapter 10

**Location: Unknown, Day: Unknown, Year: 2275**

Valerie scowled as she sat on her cot and finished off her nutrition bar. At the moment, her focus was on her distaste of her current situation. When Silas, the scientific hopeful, stepped up to the glass, Valerie's hopes were dashed when she saw the alien holding her supply of nutrition bars and water bottles. He didn't have her entire backpack. Her first effort to get her satphone didn't work, but that wasn't going to deter her from trying again and again.

Silas had entered a code on the control panel to the antechamber, which Valerie tried to reverse and memorize in her head. Silas had deposited the food and water into the antechamber, then stepped out. Once he had closed the outer doors, he opened the inner doors.

"Go ahead. I didn't touch any of it," Silas had insisted.

Marco had looked to Valerie, who only gave him a single nod, and then retrieved the nutrition bars and water bottles.

Silas closed the inner doors, paused as if to say something, but then left without a word.

Marco had put the stash of food and water in the corner. He picked up two bars. "Strawberry or peanut butter?"

"Peanut butter. I hate strawberry," Valerie had answered.

"Then why do you have strawberry ones?" Marco asked when he handed Valerie the peanut butter nutrition bar.

"They're Evan's favorite. I always have extras for him just in case." Valerie then broke into her bar, falling quiet.

Evan, the man Marco could only recall as Valerie's cameraman, seemed to be a point of concern for her. Instead of pushing further, Marco ate the strawberry one before washing it down with a sip of water. He had sat down on his cot and remained quiet for a long while, watching Valerie mull over her thoughts.

Marco's voice pulled Valerie's attention. "What are you thinking about?"

Valerie took a deep breath, looking over at Marco. She crumpled the empty wrapper in her hand. "Just how fucked up this is. And how I originally thought the Chinese had kidnapped me to torture me after the last story I just broadcasted."

Marco nodded. "So that's why I heard you yelling in Mandarin."

Valerie smiled lightly. "Yeah. Currently, I'd prefer Chinese torture to this."

"Don't say that." Marco grew concerned. "I mean, this isn't ideal, but… aliens are real. They look really similar to us, they speak English… They brought down all this advanced technology. Think about the possibilities!"

"The possibilities? You mean like invasion, war, conquering, enslavement, annihilation?" Valerie huffed, crossing her arms. "You can't live in a fantasy about this. They are playing nice and acting friendly to catch you off guard."

"Are you always this cynical?" Marco asked, raising an eyebrow.

Valerie chuckled. "I have to be. This planet that we live on," she gestured around, "is a screwed-up mess. People are either assholes or idiots. People who corrupt surviving governments or launch the next civil war, or ones who act like everything is okay and that they're not living in the middle of a nuclear crater."

Marco leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs. "That might be true, but there are still some good people out there. Ones who are hopeful for the future. Ones that aren't cynical," he countered.

Valerie moved her head back to rest on the glass wall. "If you've seen what I've seen, you'd be cynical too."

Marco smiled and laughed lightly. "If you've seen what I've seen, you'd be hopeful too."

Valerie smiled, rolling her eyes.

Marco stood up, holding his empty wrapper. He stepped up to Valerie's cot and held his hand out. Valerie gave him her wrapper, nodding in thanks. Marco tossed both wrappers into the wastebasket in the small bathroom. As he emerged, the lights in the lab dimmed, sending the holding cell into a dusky darkness.

Valerie laughed once. "I guess it's bedtime."

"Might as well get some sleep that wasn't induced by drugs," Marco spoke as he sat down on his cot.

"Agreed." Valerie fluffed her pillow before curling up on her side, facing the glass.

"Goodnight," Marco said softly as he laid down.

"Night," Valerie replied curtly.

Marco sighed, staring at Valerie's back. She had a tattoo of the phases of the moon, trailing down her spine. At the base of her neck, there was something small and red, but Marco couldn't tell what it was from far away. But most notably, he could see the unmistakable scars of multiple gunshot wounds. He could only wonder in fear of what happened to Valerie, how she got to such a damaged state, physically and mentally.

Valerie shivered, rubbing her arm on her shoulder.

"Cold?" Marco asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm freezing in here," Valerie complained. "Aren't you?"

"Guess I'm used to the cold after living in Iceland."

Valerie huffed, hugging an arm around herself, wishing desperately she had a blanket.

"I wish I could work the control panel… make it warmer in here."

She only groaned in response, hating everything about the situation.

"The only way to get warm is to share body heat," Marco added quietly, embarrassed at the thought of near-naked cuddling.

Valerie chuckled, sitting upright. "If you wanted to spoon, you could have just asked!"

Marco laughed too. "Okay." He got off his cot, standing up. He dragged his cot across the floor, feeling like he was in high school when he had to move his desk to make room for a survival demonstration.

With both cots next to each other, there was plenty of space for the two of them to sleep together. Valerie put her head back down, laying on her side as Marco laid down. He got as close as he thought would be comfortable for Valerie.

Marco heard her sigh before she reached backwards for his hand. She grabbed onto it and wrapped it around her waist, pressing her back into his chest. "If we're spooning, we're spooning for real."

"If you say so."

"Just shut up and go to sleep." Valerie brushed her hair over her shoulder before slipping her arm underneath her pillow for support.

"Okay." Marco settled in for the night. "Goodnight."

"Night," Valerie answered, much more pleasantly this time, finally feeling warm.

Being this close to her, Marco could see the tattoo on the back of her neck now. It was a small heart colored red with the word 'hope' written in loopy letters across it. He smiled to himself as he drifted off.

* * *

**Espial Space Station, Mission Day 13, continued**

Mila passed by Aiden in the lounge, just past the kitchen and dining room, watching him play an online card game with a drink in hand. "Did Silas go to bed yet?" She asked, curious as to where her science officer was.

"Nah, I think he's still in the upper lab," Aiden answered, casting a single glance in Mila's direction.

She nodded. "Thanks."

"Sure thing." Aiden took a long sip of his drink before returning his attention to his game.

On her way out, Mila stopped in the kitchen. She pulled two mugs from the cabinets and started brewing coffee. When the coffee machine finished, Mila filled the two cups up and carried them with her to the upper lab.

She found Silas hunched over a computer, furiously typing notes down.

"Pulling a late night?" Mila joked.

Silas turned and smiled when he saw her. "Yes, I suppose so."

Mila walked up to him. "Thought you could use some coffee." She handed him one of the cups.

He brightened. "Thank you, Mila."

Mila smiled back softly, sitting down in the chair next to him. They both took a sip at the same time, setting their mugs down on the desk together. "What are you up to?" She asked, leaning in to see his computer screen.

"Oh, just taking some observational notes."

Mila saw the camera feeds in the lower lab focused on the holding cell. She could see that Marco had brought his cot over to Valerie's and the two of them were cuddling close together as they slept.

"Curious, isn't it?" Silas looked to Mila as he sipped his coffee. "Neither of them knew the other before we brought them together and now they're sleeping together."

Mila sighed, turning off the camera feed. "It's creepy, Silas. You can't watch them while they sleep. Not when we're supposed to be building up some trust with them," Mila scolded.

Silas let his shoulders slump. "I know, you're right. It's just so fascinating."

"It's okay," Mila started. "You just have to ease off of being a science nerd. Be more diplomatic and friendly. Alright?"

He nodded. "Alright."

"Good." Mila put a hand on top of Silas'. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Silas smiled, turning his hand around to hold onto Mila's hand.

Mila savored the moment, finally having a soft interaction with Silas, when neither of them were feeling angry or annoyed at the other. She eventually let go, picking up her mug. "Goodnight, Si. Get some rest." She put her free hand on his shoulder.

Silas smiled lightly. "Of course, Mila. Goodnight."

Mila exhaled as she left the lab, going to her room for some much-deserved rest.

* * *

**Porphyrorum, Porphyry homeworld, 22|41, 30.9.4965**

Elias sat at his desk in his office, pulling yet another late night as he tried to squeeze more information from Mila. He was dissatisfied with her captaining efforts on the Espial, and her insolence for withholding vital information about her mission.

He stared at the message he had last sent to Mila, waiting for her answer.

To: Mila Lexa

Re: URGENT Mission Update Needed

Your camera feeds aren't relaying, you say? Then I expect detailed updates twice a day so the Senate can stay informed. Regarding order violations, so long as you can confirm and ensure the specimen did not see your face, then I won't consider adding another infraction to your record. And I'm going to need a little more explanation of the specimens' sentience level of "elevated." Perhaps I'll get better reports from Silas. Should I put some talk to him exclusively, instead of you? Now, I'm not suggesting you send an immediate reply, I'm ordering it.

Only ten minutes passed before Elias received Mila's answer.

New Message from Mila Lexa

Re: URGENT Mission Update Needed

The Espial is an old rust-bucket. Aiden tells me everyday that he's surprised the Espial is still in orbit. He said that the camera relays were bound to go and he doesn't have much confidence in fixing them. I'll send you reports three times a day if it makes you happy. After revisiting the lab while the specimen was awake, it had no reaction, so I can confirm it did not see my face. I'll have Silas send his report regarding sentience level whenever he's finished with it. I wouldn't recommend communicating with Silas exclusively. His tangents last for at least seven messages at a time. It's late. I suggest you get some rest.

Respectfully,

Captain Mila Lexa

Elias picked up his pencil cup from his desk and threw it across his office. He stood up and stomped to his office door. He snatched his jacket off of his coat rack and left his office, slamming his door shut. He marched past his secretary, Thea, who had to stay at her desk until Elias left for the night.

Elias' anger had given Thea a jolt of energy. "Is there something I can do for you, sir?"

Elias looked over his shoulder at her. "Go home, Thea."

"Of course, sir." She bowed her head with respect.

Elias sighed and made his way towards the Senate chamber. The guard stationed at the secure door waved Elias forward, waiting for him to scan his wristband. Elias huffed and rolled his eyes, lifting his wrist to scan his band. "You've only seen me scan in four other times today," he snapped.

"Sorry, it's protocol." The guard opened the door for Elias when the scanner turned green.

Elias swore at the guard under his breath as he walked into the Senate chamber. He paused when he heard the gavel pound the Head Senator's desk. The session was just ending and the 100 Senators were all gathering their personal belongings to leave for the night.

"Elias," Senator Avvaro called out to the man. "What brings you here at this late hour?"

"And why not earlier, before we'd all like to get home?" Senator Linsda added, clearly annoyed.

"My deepest apologies, Senators, Commander." Elias bowed at the waist. "With my deepest respect, I think we might be screwed."


	11. Chapter 11

**Location: Unknown, Day: Unknown + 1, Year: 2275**

The lights to the lab slowly grew brighter, as if the sun was rising over the cell itself. The gentle brightness woke Valerie first, who'd always fall asleep in an instant, sleep deeply through the night, and then wake at the quietest noise or softest light.

Valerie opened her eyes, blinking away the last of her sleepiness. At some point in the night, Valerie figured she must have rolled over, currently finding herself chest-to-chest with Marco. Her left arm was tucked under her pillow while her right hand curled against Marco's chest. Marco had his right arm underneath his pillow and his left draped over Valerie's waist, his fingers brushing the small of her back.

Marco was still asleep and Valerie found his peaceful face almost angelic. She traced her hand lightly over his chest to his arm, feeling the muscles underneath his skin. '_Holy shit, he's ripped! Iceland must have some intense survival workout…'_

Valerie carefully moved her hand, lifting a piece of Marco's wavy hair away from his face. She wished she could have moments like these all of the time. But her duty as a roving reporter took priority, leaving no room for the connections she wanted. Cynicism was the only coping mechanism she had.

Valerie feathered her fingers over Marco's scruff, obviously unable to shave his growing facial hair in these circumstances. Marco started to stir and Valerie pulled her hand away.

Marco took a deep breath as he opened his eyes and Valerie could see how blue they were, being this close. Cerulean, with dark sea blue rings at the edges.

Marco hummed, smiling briefly. "Morning," he started, voice low and gravely.

Valerie smiled back. "Morning."

"I… didn't wake you up, did I? Was I snoring?" Marco asked, his hand moving more firmly against her back as his concern grew.

"No," Valerie laughed quietly, "you weren't snoring at all. I just woke up when the lights turned on."

"Oh, good." Marco felt her warm skin under his hand, happy he was able to provide some heat for her for the night. "You haven't gotten up yet?"

Valerie put her hand on his bicep. "You've kinda got me trapped."

Marco's eyes widened when he realized what she meant. "Oh shit, sorry." He took his arm off of her, moving back to give her space.

She smiled as she sat up. "It's alright." She twisted at the waist to crack her back. "We can't all live in Iceland to get fucking ripped as hell."

Marco laughed, rolling onto his back and covering his face with his hands.

Valerie climbed off the double cot and stood up. "Like, are you just benching boulders out there, or what?"

As he pulled his hands away, Marco shook his head. "Mainly just chopping down trees, hunting for my next meal, and trudging through two feet of wet snow to get home."

Valerie nodded, impressed. "The Huntsman of Iceland."

Marco chuckled and nodded, approving. "You're not too shabby yourself. You took on one of them in their exo-suits and nearly won. I think it was Mila, right?" His hand traveled to his neck, rubbing it slightly. "You do have quite a grip," he referenced when she grabbed him after waking up.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I suppose I do." Valerie replied.

"So… let's see how you compare," Marco lightheartedly challenged.

She lifted her arms and flexed her biceps while tightening her core muscles to show off her abs.

Marco whistled, making Valerie laugh and turn away. "What's your secret?" He asked, leaning back to rest on the glass.

"Oh, you know, the usual." She stepped towards the bathroom. "Diet… Exercise… Seven months of intensive training with the world's best martial arts fighters…" She smiled when Marco looked impressed. "But mostly good genetics. However," she opened the door to the bathroom, "that's a story for another day." She shut the bathroom door quietly.

Marco lifted an eyebrow, curious. 'Genetics? Curious that she'd bring that up unprompted. I suppose… I'll just ask her about it later.' He stood up, stretching away his aches. The cot left several things to desire in the realm of comfort. Though he had slept soundly, clearly, since he didn't wake up when Valerie turned around in his arms. Just holding her… made it seem fleeing to Iceland was worth it. The lack of human connection, the madness from his loneliness that he just barely kept at bay, it was worth it.

His stomach rumbled. Marco went to the stack of nutrition bars in the corner, picking out a strawberry one. As he ate it, he heard the toilet flush and the sink run. By the time he finished, Valerie was out of the bathroom.

Valerie put her hair up in a fresh ponytail as she walked towards Marco. "What I would give for a shower."

"I second that," Marco nodded, retrieving a peanut butter bar for Valerie.

"Thanks." Valerie took a few quick bites. "Oh, and a toothbrush and toothpaste! Swishing with water can only do so much."

Marco suddenly felt self-conscious about the smell of his breath.

Valerie smiled. "You're fine, don't worry." She quickly finished the rest of the bar. She picked up a bottle of water and took a few sips.

Marco took their two wrappers and threw them out in the bathroom. He shut the door behind him to wash up.

Valerie sighed, her mood slowly darkening. Marco was distracting her from the real problem at hand. '_I just need to find out where my backpack is, get my satphone, and call Evan. He can find my location from the call and get reinforcements. Shit, I wonder where these fucks have set up shop. Iceland and China are nearly as far apart as you could get… The remnants of the crater previously known as Russia is right in the middle. Though we can't be floating on a sea of water, otherwise I'd feel rocking. Maybe someone uninhabited… Antarctica? Madagascar? Mongolia? Maybe Iceland… Marco might not be that far from his home. I can't wait to get even with these aliens. Maybe strap them to a table, let them get a taste of their own medicine. Fuck, I hope Evan's alright without me-'_

"What are you thinking about?" Marco asked, emerging from the bathroom.

Valerie shrugged. "Just thinking what our next steps could be."

He nodded. "Which are?"

"Don't really know." She shook her head. "We just need to be cautious. The 'Senate' or whatever, they're the ones we need to go after."

"'Go after?'" Marco grew confused. "'We?' What do you mean?"

"Marco, we can't just let these aliens take over our planet. Just them hiding here is a threat to all humanity," Valerie spoke angrily.

"Valerie, we just have to give them a chance. Just one chance, okay?" He stepped closer to her.

"They're already on thin fucking ice after kidnapping us, drugging us, studying us," Valerie rubbed her temples. "Locking us up, for crying out loud."

Marco sighed. "One… one chance. Can you promise me that?"

Valerie weighed his offer, considering her options. She sighed.

Before she could answer, the door to the lab opened. Mila, Silas, and Aiden came in.

"I hope you both slept well," Mila started.

"Just fine, thanks." Valerie crossed her arms.

"Uh, we brought your clothes for you." Mila gestured to Silas, who held their folded clothes in his hands, and Aiden who had their shoes tucked under one arm.

Valerie huffed. "Finally."

"And then I was hoping you two would be up for some discussions," Mila added.

Valerie looked around the holding cell. "Why have you been keeping us in pressurized chambers?"

"We weren't sure if you carried air-borne or blood-borne diseases. It was just a precaution," Silas answered.

"Do you have any diseases that'll hurt us?" Marco asked.

Silas shook his head.

"And outside this chamber, is there air we can breathe?" He stepped up to the glass.

"Yes, 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, 1% miscellaneous," Silas explained.

"You breathe oxygen too?"

"Nitrogen."

"Oh."

"Can you let us out now?" Valerie lifted an eyebrow at Mila.

"Of course." Mila moved over to the control panel and entered the code to release Valerie and Marco.

As soon as both sets of doors opened, Valerie exited, shoving past Mila. She went directly to Silas, plucking her shirt off the top of the pile. She gave it a quick sniff, finding it was fresh and clean. She narrowed her eyes at Silas as she pulled her shirt on. She put her jeans on next, seeing the discomfort grow on Silas' face as she kept eye contact.

She moved over to Aiden. She tugged her shoes out of his grasp, pulling them on.

"You're welcome," Aiden spoke gruffly.

"Nice gun." Valerie nodded towards the rifle in his opposite hand.

"I heard that one of the humans likes to be violent," Aiden retorted.

Valerie gave him a look but an amused smirk eventually grew on her face.

Marco went up to Silas, graciously taking his clothes. After he was dressed, he took his shoes from Aiden, bowing his head in thanks.

"And where's my backpack?" Valerie asked, looking between the three aliens.

Silas answered her. "I have it, upstairs in the Upper Lab."

"Can you take me there?" Valerie asked, trying to be polite as Marco's wish echoed in her ears.

"Sure." Silas looked to Mila for approval, who nodded. Silas waved Valerie on and let her out of the lab.

Valerie looked over her shoulder and Marco followed her. Aiden and Mila pulled up the back as Silas went towards the south side of the lab. He went up a short set of stairs to a door. It opened to reveal a larger staircase. Silas led the group up into the Upper Lab. Valerie concentrated on Silas, who retrieved her backpack from his workbench.

"It's all there," Silas reassured Valerie.

She rummaged around until her hand brushed against what she was looking for. "Mhm."

"Is this real?" Marco pointed to the periodic table on the wall. He glanced over all of the elements labeled in orange. "Are there really more elements that we don't know about?"

Silas looked to Marco. "Yes, those are all the elements. I can tell you all about the ones in orange later, if you'd like."

Aiden sat down on one of the stools, staring at the chemicals and instruments with the most bored look on his face.

Mila rolled her eyes at the man as she took a seat of her own. "If you'd like to sit, we can talk here," Mila offered.

Silas pulled up a stool and sat, waiting for Marco and Valerie to move.

Valerie instead chose to lean against the countertop by the exit to the hallway. Marco sat down right next to her.

"So? What's your first question?" Mila asked.

Valerie eyed the rifle in Aiden's hands. "How many of you are there? On your home planet?"

"I'm sorry?" Mila furrowed her brows.

"What are your numbers?" She asked again.

"Valerie…" Marco whispered in a warning tone.

She shot him a glance but held firm.

Mila eventually answered. "Four billion, give or take."

Valerie nodded 'Four billion, compared to three-point-one. Not terrible odds, but not great.'

"And where… where is your home planet?" Marco asked.

Silas spoke up. "It's about eight light years away from your sun."

"So you have faster than light travel figured out?" Marco asked, growing excited.

Silas nodded.

"What does your planet look like? Is it like ours?" Marco leaned forward.

"Similar, but there are several major differences. I think I have a globe and some maps around here…" Silas looked around. "Oh, Mila, could you look in that cabinet behind you?"

Mila huffed lightly but nodded. She turned around, kneeling and opening the cabinet. As she rummaged around, Silas looked on, trying to help her find it.

Valerie grabbed Marco by the arm, holding her backpack in her other hand. She ran out of the Upper Lab, through the double doors into the hallway, dragging Marco with her.

"Hey!" Aiden stood up at the commotion, grabbing Silas and Mila's attention.

Valerie pushed Marco to the side, turning around, spying crates and boxes on the floor. After slinging her backpack over one shoulder, she quickly dragged a few of the crates to create a barrier at the door.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Marco cried out. "We were making progress!"

"Open your eyes, Marco!" Valerie shouted as she picked up a toolbox. She stepped back up to the Upper Lab doors. "This is going to be a war!" She pulled screwdrivers and pliers out of the toolbox and shoved them into the miniscule space where the doors recede into the wall.

Aiden slammed a fist against the door, making Valerie step back. It was jammed from opening, despite the motion sensors trying.

"Valerie!" Mila yelled as she rushed up behind Aiden, Silas at her heels. "Open the door!"

Valerie shook her head, pulling the crowbar from the toolbox before tossing the metal box aside. She went back over to Marco, grabbing his hand. "Come on." She pulled him along behind her down the hallway, trying to find a place to hide and make her call. They got to a mechanized door and Valerie was grateful she had taken the crowbar. Though she wasn't using it as a weapon, yet, like she had planned.

"Valerie, what the hell are you doing? Why are you ruining everything?!" Marco stepped up to Valerie.

"I'm saving us before this all blows up in our faces!" Valerie pushed him to the side, prying the doors open.

She pulled Marco through the doors before they snapped shut. To their right, they could see Mila and Aiden struggling to open the jammed doors, but Silas was nowhere to be seen. Valerie saw another set of mechanized doors straight in front of them. She and Marco went towards them as Valerie pulled out her satphone. She started dialing Evan but her satphone couldn't make a connection.

"What's wrong?" Marco asked after seeing the look on her face.

"I don't have a signal," Valerie answered, "which is impossible considering this is a satphone." She pressed the buttons harder, knowing that it wouldn't make a difference.

"So what do we do now?" He asked.

Valerie refocused on the door and the crowbar in her hand. She cast a glance over her shoulder and saw through the glass that Mila and Aiden were slipping out inch by inch through the partially opened doors. She muttered a string of swears before grabbing Marco's hand. Valerie pulled him off to the left, seeing a set of stairs by another mechanized door.

"Valerie." Marco spoke sternly.

"What?" Valerie looked to Marco.

He pulled his hand out of her grasp. "You've gotta stop."

"I can't…" Valerie trailed off, seeing something behind Marco. "I…" She went towards her distraction, walking slowly towards a large rounded couch. "What the…"

"What are you doing?" Marco turned around to watch her.

"Are you… are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Valerie stepped past the couch, eyes wide.

Marco came up behind her. "Shit…"

Valerie let the crowbar fall from her grasp.

"Are we… are we really?" Marco's voice grew quiet.

Valerie put a hand on the glass of the viewing window. "Yeah."

Marco stepped up behind her as the doors they came through opened. Mila and Aiden came stalking up to them.

"We're in space," Valerie whispered, suddenly feeling emotional. Scared. "We're in… fucking space." She blinked rapidly as she looked down at Earth, nighttime lights illuminating the cratered landmasses.

Aiden moved to approach, his grip tightening on his rifle. Mila held out an arm to stop him, giving him a stern shake of her head.

Silas emerged through the door to the right of the group, slightly out of breath. "What's going on? ...Oh."

Marco slipped Valerie's hand into his. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm not." Her voice was nearly inaudible as a single tear slipped down her cheek. "We're in fucking space. Of course I'm not okay."


	12. Chapter 12

**Location: Space, Day: Unknown + 1, Year: 2275, continued**

"Valerie?"

She stared down at her home, planet Earth, unblinking.

"Valerie? You alright?"

She could feel her heart thumping inside of her chest, her blood rushing through her ears.

"Valerie, come sit down."

She felt Marco's hands on her shoulders, guiding her backwards to sit down on the couch. He took her backpack off and the satphone from her hands, setting them both down on the floor by their feet. She still stared at Earth, her vision narrowing, as if she was in a tunnel.

"Valerie, take a deep breath."

She couldn't. Every inhale was sharp and every exhale immediately followed.

"Valerie, say something."

She shook her head.

"Look at me, Valerie."

She couldn't look away, like the planet was drawing her in. Everything was so simple before this.

"What's wrong with her?" Aiden asked from behind the couch.

"I think it's an anxiety attack," Silas answered quietly.

"Valerie." Marco gripped her face and turned her head, forcing her to look at him. "Take a deep breath. In through your nose, out through your mouth," he instructed.

Valerie complied, repeating his directions as Marco dropped his hand from her face.

"Feeling better?" He asked.

Valerie reached out and brushed her fingers against Marco's. "Mhm, sure," she answered slowly, the lie easily passing her lips. She looked over her shoulder at the three aliens behind her. "You three, start talking."

Mila and Silas circled around the couch, sitting on the empty space next to Valerie. Aiden faced the group and remained standing, leaning against the wall near the glass.

"The Senate sent us here to study your planet and determine whether there was any resources of worth on the surface," Mila explained, "and if your species could wage a war against us upon invasion."

"Thank you." Valerie bowed her head. "For the truth, finally."

"You're… you're welcome," Mila nodded, finally beginning to understand how Valerie, and Marco, had felt throughout their situation.

"And is it safe to assume that you three are against the Senate?" Valerie asked.

"Yes, all of us," Silas replied.

"Good. How are we going to stop the Senate from invading and conquering Earth?" Valerie sat up a little straighter.

"Diplomatically. Preferably."

All heads turned to Marco, who crossed his arms, maintaining a stern look on his face.

"I mean it, no fighting. Everything can be resolved by talking," he added.

"I agree," Silas leaned forward. "There's no need for violence."

Mila sighed. "The Senate might not see it that way, but we can try."

Aiden scoffed.

"We can try. Can't we, Aiden?" Mila asked insistently.

"Yes ma'am." He nodded.

Silas looked to the remaining member of the motley group. "Valerie? What do you say?"

Valerie frowned slightly as she turned to face Silas. "Are you asking that because I'm inclined to violence?"

"N-no! You just haven't voiced your opinion yet," Silas explained.

Valerie hid a smirk. "Yeah, let's be diplomatic." She looked to Marco, feeling him gently wrap his hand around hers. "So long as the Senate meets us halfway."

"I think I can swing that." Mila nodded. "Now that we're all on the same page, I can reach out to my contact to set up a meeting with a few of the upper tier Senators. I doubt the Commander would come out here but maybe we can conference him in," she spoke her thought process out loud.

"Commander?" Marco grew curious.

"The head of the Senate, leader of the entire government," the captain replied. "All decisions are approved and passed down by him."

"Do you think we could get more information about you two? And humans and your planet in general?" Silas asked.

"Yeah, sure." Marco smiled lightly.

Silas clasped his hands together. "Great! If I can start by asking-"

"Actually," Valerie cut in, standing up, her hand pulling away from Marco's, "I need a minute to process all of this." She snatched up her backpack and satphone from the floor.

"You okay?" Marco asked quietly.

Valerie smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm not. But answer any of their questions, Marco. Knowledge of each other is the first step in diplomacy, right? Exactly what you want." She then turned and left before anyone else could speak.

"Should… someone go talk to her?" Silas asked.

"No." Marco shook his head. "I can tell she needs her space right now. Just let her be."

Silas and Mila nodded.

"So," Marco started, "what would you like to know?"

As the conversation began, Aiden stood up straight, moving away from his leaning position against the wall. He slung the strap of his rifle over his shoulder, walking the path Valerie took. She stood at the door she tried to open with Marco, the one Silas had came through. She stared at it, eyes empty.

Aiden leaned forward and waved his hand, his ID band allowing her access. Valerie shot him a silent glance before continuing on. Aiden let the door close behind him, watching Valerie aimlessly wander away.

"Valerie," he called out to her, take his ID band off, "take this."

"What for?" She stopped and turned to face him, sounding dejected.

"It'll let you into most of the rooms on board. I've got an extra in my locker, so you can have this one," Aiden explained.

Valerie took the band, holding it in both hands. "Thanks."

"I won't bother you, alright? You can hang in the dining room if you want. Stays pretty quiet in there." Aiden walked towards his locker, entering his code.

"Okay," she murmured.

Aiden watched her stay still as he retrieved his backup ID band. He went to the door to his room, casting one last sympathetic glance in her direction. He felt a pang of guilt in his chest as he retreated into his living quarters.

Meanwhile Valerie slowly made her way to the door labeled 'Dining Room.' When she got close, the ID band opened up the door. She went in, seeing a kitchen to the right with seating in the back. She walked all the way to the back, looking out the window to see Earth again. Valerie sat down on the window sill, staring at the stars. She pulled her backpack into her lap, digging all the way down to the bottom. She pulled out the one item she was shocked she had forgotten about. She held it in one hand, cold and heavy.

Valerie held onto her pistol tightly, like it was the only thing that could keep her grounded as she floated in space.


End file.
